Emeralds are much rarer and more valuable than diamonds. No wonder Cleopatra was absolutely obsessed with her emeralds!
The emeralds popularity began when it was declared the sacred stone of Venus, the goddess of beauty and love. From as early as 2000 BC, ancients got their emeralds from Upper Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Sesostris III. Cleopatra collected emeralds and was said to have valued her emeralds more than any other of her gems. While none of Cleopatra's emerald collection survived, historical accounts describe her as being adorned in emeralds. In ancient Egypt, emeralds were a symbol of fertility and rebirth. When Cleopatra visited dignitaries and diplomats, she gifted them with emeralds.
Emeralds were mined in, what is now called, "Cleopatra's Mines" situated in Jabal Sukayt and Jabal Zabārah near the Red Sea coast, east of Aswān. The mines started in the time of Alexander the Great and were later taken over by Cleopatra. The miners worked in extreme heat and in close quarters with scorpions and snakes in order to get emeralds to Cleopatra.
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