The history of the emerald goes back to ancient times when the gem was considered to have healing powers of the eye. Emeralds in ancient times were mostly mined in Egypt, where they were greatly valued and only members of the upper class owned them. Today the

Emeralds and other types of beryl can be used in industry too. Beryl is a major ore of beryllium that is used to make a metal called beryllium-copper. Beryllium-copper is used to make metals in jets, reactors, and some other important equipment. Superstition states that staring at an emerald will improve your eyesight and take away the need for glasses.

The emerald is a very unique stone because it is the softest and only second in money value behind a flawless ruby. Geologists use an instrument called a refractometer to determine how well the stone refracts light and its type, which cannot always be told by just looking at it. The value of beryl depends on it's hardness, transparency, and color. Emeralds fetch such high prices because the supply is very limited, and flawless emeralds are very rare. Columbia's government really limits the amount of emeralds that make the market, so that also drives up prices.

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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 622
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)