Bobcat Treasure: Emeralds ... Spring ... and Green Fire ....

The Gachala Emerald, 858 carats, found at La Vega de San Juan mine in Colombia, housed at the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

Cool green fire caught in stone ... a symbol of Spring, denoting rebirth and renewal, running the palette of greens, from light new growth to dark primordial forests.... Emeralds of a deep, ethereal green tinged with an intense blue may be more valuable than diamonds of equal size and are considered the most rare of the five "precious" stones (including pearls, which are not true "stones"). Emeralds are the birthstones of those born in May, and also the representative gemstones for the birth signs Taurus, Cancer and sometimes Gemini.

The translucent green gems are uniquely found in the rock in which they are formed, and never occur in scattered gemstone gravels, as do diamonds, rubies and sapphires. Emeralds signify abundance and riches, are said to ensure domestic bliss, and instill sensitivity, loyalty and harmony within oneself and in others in close proximity to the wearer. Emeralds are thought to eliminate negativity in one's life, and also are believed to foster strength, creativity, spiritual insight, focus and intensity to help fulfill one's destiny and complete a life's journey.

Emeralds have ever been considered sacred to the Great Goddess, the Earth Mother, the giver of fertility and bounty, called by many names throughout history from Paleolithic times (some 2.5 million years ago) to the present day, and including the Celtic Goddess Danu, the "mother" of the Tuatha De Danaan in the Emerald Isle. (See Guinevere the Druid Goddess: St. Patrick's Day ... the Shee ... and 'Kiss Me, I'm Druid' ... posted March 8, 2008.) The stones have long been associated with the Goddess Diana, patroness of the hunt and guardian of women and young girls. In 1531, at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, the Emerald Goddess Umina, embodied in a huge emerald crystal, was removed from her dominion over the Manta Valley in Peru by the conquistadores and carried back to Spain along with hundreds of her "daughters" (smaller but nevertheless sizable emeralds which had been arranged around Umina in her temple).

The lustrous stones were considered the personification of the Goddess Aphrodite (Venus to the Romans) and her consort Hermes, who created for Aphrodite the Emerald Tablet on which the words of creation were said to have been written. One biblical scribe envisioned the throne of God as being surrounded by a rainbow which looked like refractions of light from an emerald. In some Jewish lore, the emerald was one of the four sacred stones given to Solomon, although there is some dissension in Rabbinical thought as to whether the stone referenced was actually an emerald or another form of green beryl. One Medieval legend insisted that the mythic Holy Grail was actually carved from a single huge emerald dislodged from Satan's crown during his descent from Heaven to the underworld.

The earliest known emeralds were found in Egypt, near the Red Sea, although it is acknowledged today that the finest stones come from Colombia, South America. Good quality emeralds may also be found in other countries, such as Brazil, Zambia, Madagascar, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and Russia. Some emeralds have been found in South Carolina, and in 1998 they were discovered in Yukon, Canada.

Emeralds have mystic significance to many religions, including Christianity, and the stone has often been believed and employed to focus the mind on spiritual matters. Indian mystics have long thought that the gift of an emerald to a deity would guarantee knowledge of the soul and eternal life.

Like some diamonds, certain emeralds have been held to be malevolent in nature. A emerald ring set with diamonds owned by King Phillip II of Spain at the time of the Spanish Armada's defeat by England was deemed to be so dangerous that it was buried by Church authorities in a fortified iron coffin which has never been found. In Russia, a particular emerald given to the Empress Elizabeth was passed down through Romanov family, with dire results for many of those who wore it, including Czar Nicholas II, who was massacred with all his family at Ekaterinburg in August 1918. That emerald has also disappeared and is thought to have been secreted away by spiritual leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Similar to rubies, an old folk belief holds that an emerald will change color in the presence of treachery and deceit. For many years, lovers exchanged emeralds, believing that the stones would lose their color or actually fracture in case of infidelity. Dreaming of an emerald signifies good luck and wealth, and great happiness to come. It is said that emeralds open the portal to new beginnings, new life. In some societies, emeralds have been prized as healing stones, and are said to strengthen the eye, heart, immune and nervous systems. Throughout history, they have been rumored to protect from the evil eye, enchantment, poisonous snakes and demonic possession.

Unlike rubies, which may represent unbridled passion and ambition, it is believed that emeralds are preferred by those whose fires burn deeper, cooler and therefore longer, tended scrupulously and guarded from view by outsiders and others, except those who are favored by the owner and permitted a closer glimpse of the intensity and splendor inside.

Emeralds have been highly regarded by rulers and are displayed among all the Crown Jewels of countries throughout the world. Yahn and I looked in awe at the myriad gorgeous emeralds displayed at the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul, including but not limited to a six-sided emerald pendant which belonged to Sultan Ahmet I and an exquisite 17th Century dagger with an emerald hilt, worked with gold and diamonds. (The 1964 caper film Topkapi, starring Melina Mercouri and Maximilian Schell, spun the tale of an effort by international jewel thieves to steal the dagger.) The French Crown Jewels contain among other marvels an emerald necklace given by Napoleon to the Empress Marie Louise. Among the legendary "Easter Eggs" designed by Carl Faberge for the Russian Royal Family was the 1896 Rock Crystal Egg, topped by a 26-carat Siberian cabochon emerald. Since emeralds are softer stones than diamonds, rubies or sapphires, care must taken in displaying and wearing them so that they are not subject to rubbing against harder stones which may damage or diminish their value.

Like rubies, all natural emeralds have imperfections, or inclusions, which affect their quality and brilliance. Thus emeralds may also be likened to imperfect human beings, dependent for their ultimate worth on the number of cracks and flaws contained within their cores, and the ability of each of us to cut, polish and enhance our souls in such a way as to bring out the best of our inner fire and essential being. A raw emerald skillfully shaped by the hands of a master crafstman, and carefully tended and conserved by its owner, increases exponentially in value over time. And so, I give you emeralds....

Unfinished emeralds



Sandra Dement: Student council secretary and music scholarship winner. Sandra is married to Tony DeVeau and lives in Dallas. We had hoped to see her at the recent April 9 dinner with Phil and Winnie, Yahn and I, Nicki and Jim, Linda Kay and Wayne and Coach Joe Warren, but she was unable to attend. We missed her and look forward to seeing her in Las Vegas in October. For more information on Sandi, see her "Show and Tell" update posted March 4, 2008.

Max McClendon: Golf team, Speech Club member. Max is currently the pastor of the Church of Christ in Shamrock, Texas, after having served at churches in Mobile, Louisiana and Seattle. He and his wife have two grown sons.

Beth McKee: Johnny's football jacket, short. Beth lives in Lubbock, Texas.

Doug Greer: Wittiest, for his broken bones. Doug is retired and lives in Graham, Texas. Last seen by me at the time of Paula's funeral (where he was a pallbearer) in May 2002. The night before the funeral, Doug, Ronnie Kindle and Joe Don came by Lynn's house and visited with us for a while, sharing memories from high school and of Paula.

June Smith: Voice, first period librarian. June is living in Childress with her husband, Raymond Rhodes, and they are both retired.

Jack Privitt: Band, tall. Jack is currently living in Little Rock, Arkansas. He works with computers, networks and other computer-related matters.

Rebecca Cheatham: Choir member and office assistant. Rebecca is married to Doug Self, living in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Doug is pastor of the Church at Carbondale and they have three grown children. We believe Rebecca may be a realtor.

Charles Crouch: Mechanical ____. (The rest of the line was apparently cut off at the time of printing.) Charles and his wife, the former Arvazene Whitten, have three children and live in Childress, where Charles works as a guard the prison.

Joy Hackler: Senior class secretary, voice. Joy Hackler Cunningham lives in Midland, Texas.

Bruce Patterson: John Phillip Sousa Award, long hair. We believe Bruce is retired from the railroad and living in Amarillo.

Pam Hughes: Office assistant, almond eyes. We understand that Pam lives in Fort Worth, but have no further information.

Don Seal: Jokes, Carrolle. Don lives in the Dallas area and owns a wig shop, catering primarily to those who have lost their hair because of chemotherapy, alopecia, or other medical reasons. He also carries prostheses for those who have undergone mastectomy. Don told me when we talked in November that he and his wife, who live in Highland Village, were then expecting another grandchild.

Carol Mahan: Gold Star Girl in 4-H, DE. Carol lives outside Childress with her husband, and Raenell believes she works as a private duty nurse. I last saw Carol and spoke with her briefly at the All-School Reunion in Childress in 2002.

Ronnie Lawrence: National Honor Society President, basketball. Ron retired from the energy industry and now teaches high school and lives with his wife Deborah in Centennial, Colorado, a suburb of Denver.

Jimmy Lassen: DE student, 1962 Corral staff. I talked with Jim, who lives in Longview, in November. Jim indicated to me then that he would check out the blog and possibly leave an update for us, though I haven't heard from him since. The last time I saw Jim was in the early '70s, at a little hole-in-the-wall pub in Dallas, The Quiet Man, where the clientele ranged from SMU professors to darts and rugby players to "hippies" (not necessarily mutually exclusive categories). Yahn and I were on the outdoor patio when Jim exited the interior. I saw his eyes and knew immediately who it was....

Cut emeralds

We are hopeful those profiled here (and others who may have more information) will add to these brief updates in comments to this post, or will forward us more comprehensive information for publication in the "Show and Tell" linked blog. Those of you who may have only recently begun reading the blog are directed to earlier "Bobcat Treasure" posts (i.e., Pearls ... of Wisdom [from Darryl Morris] ... and Giants and Windmills, published September 15, 2007; Diamonds ... BFFs ... and Who Was that Elvis Impersonator?, published September 21, 2007; Gold ... King Tut ... and the Lost Buddha..., published October 20, 2007; Jade ... Candles ... and Auld Lang Syne..., published December 31, 2007; and Rubies ... Mystic Powers ... and Valentines..., published February 4, 2008.)

We wish all of you a renewal of life and spirit in this lovely (if somewhat stormy) Spring, which we hope will meld seamlessly into a not-too-hot Summer of luminous green fire and growth and light ....

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