The stunning green of the emerald has long been popular in all forms of jewelry. Back in Victorian times, emerald rings could often be found as part of a matching set, which also included a necklace, a bracelet and earrings, and having looked at the classic emerald ring in previous articles, here we look at emerald bracelets and earrings.

Emeralds of course date back to long before Victorian times, and are perhaps most widely associated with Cleopatra, who considered the emerald her favorite gem. Cleopatra was ordered to give up her jewelry by the Roman Empire, and the stone has long since held a level of mystique and fascination for women around the world.

Large, high-quality emeralds are extremely expensive and rare. This means that the stones are more suited to items of jewelry such as earrings, which do not require large gems. Emerald bracelets often incorporate a number of smaller stones, which are often alternated with diamonds for maximum effect.

That is not to say that diamonds are the only stones that can be used as an accent stone. Cartier were responsible for introducing the ‘tutti frutti’ style, which was influenced by Asian jewelry and incorporated a lavish combination of emeralds, sapphires and rubies. This luxurious combination can be beyond the budget of many people, however, and garnets, amethyst and citrines also work well with emeralds for those shopping on a more limited budget.

Emerald is considered a lucky stone - a theme that goes hand-in-hand with the ‘luck of the Irish’ and the ‘Emerald Isle’ (Ireland). It is for reasons such as these that emeralds feature so prominently in Irish jewelry, where they are often incorporated into a four-leafed clover - the symbol of good luck. This emerald clover is often found on necklaces and pendants.

It used to be that emerald was only affordable to the rich and royalty, but times have changed and supplies of the stones have been discovered in many countries, reducing their value slightly. This means that emeralds become more affordable to the public, and sales of emerald bracelets, rings and earrings are on the rise.