On the Heroes, Heroines and History blog, we're talking about the history of the Emerald, May's birthstone. Here's a preview of the article. May is my favorite month. The sights, sounds and smell of Spring as it finally arrives, the baby animals that can be seen all around, the fresh smell of rain on newly growing plant sprouts. It's just a lovely time of year! And it's my birthday month. But that doesn't make me biased at all. ;) I've always been fascinated with the birthstone of May, the emerald. It's a beautiful stone, and one with a rich history. So let's explore where this gem was first discovered, and how it has progressed through time. The first known emeralds were mined in Egypt around 1500 B.C. That's about the time that Moses was being called by God to return to Egypt and free the Israelites from slavery. So it is possible that Hebrew slaves were the ones to mine the very first diamonds from the earth. Read the full art