Emerald is May’s birthstone. Roman author Pliny the Elder said of green stones, or smaragdi, that there was "no green in existence of a more intense color than this." Weary eyes could be refreshed simply by staring into one of these gems. In this first image of a group of 28 beads, there are three emeralds. Conservators re-strung these beads, which date to Egypt's Ptolemaic period (ca. 332–30 BC), as a necklace, but they may have functioned as elements of other types of jewelry, such as earrings. Mines in Egypt's Eastern Desert were an important source for emeralds across the Roman Empire. Swipe to see an image of a Romano-Egyptian mummy portrait of a woman called Isidora, who wears a necklace that appears to be made of emeralds, pearls, and gold—all gems characteristically worn by elite women in the first and second century. . . . 🏷️#getty #gettyvilla #gettymuseum #art #gem #gemstones #jewelry #details #emeralds #green #greek #roman #egypt