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Emerald
#50C878 · click to copy
Cool
HEX
#50C878
RGB
80, 200, 120
CMYK
60%, 0%, 40%, 22%
Pigment
PG7, PG36
Lightfastness
Excellent (I)
Moods & Keywords
green
rich
jewel
deep
luxurious
nature
healing
Pigment & Material
PG7, PG36
Synthetic
Chromium oxide (Cr₂O₃) for the pigment. The gemstone colour comes from trace amounts of chromium and vanadium in beryl.
Origin & History
Emerald has been prized since antiquity — Cleopatra was famous for her emerald mines in Egypt (now exhausted). The word comes from the Greek "smaragdos." Colombian emeralds, discovered after the Spanish conquest, became the world standard. As a colour, emerald green represents the ideal of pure, saturated green — the green that all other greens aspire to.
Also Known As
Smaragd
Esmeralda
Viridis Smaragdinus
Emerald Green (historical — different pigment)
Psychology
Vital, precious, and naturally luxurious. Emerald is green at its most intense and precious — it carries the weight of a gemstone. Associated with life, renewal, wealth, and the deep green of tropical forests. Unlike the earthiness of olive or the coolness of teal, emerald is unambiguously vivid and alive.
In Culture
Ireland is known as the "Emerald Isle" — a reference to its intensely green landscape. The Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz used green specifically for its associations with magic and the impossible. In Islamic tradition, green (particularly emerald green) is the colour of paradise. The "emerald tablet" of Hermes Trismegistus is one of the foundational texts of Western alchemy.
Natural Sources
True emerald is beryl (Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈) coloured by chromium and vanadium impurities. The finest stones come from Colombia (Muzo mine), Zambia, and Brazil. As a pigment colour, emerald green is represented by phthalo green (PG7) rather than ground gemstone — actual emerald powder produces only a pale grey-green.
Making It Yourself
Mix phthalo green (PG7) with a small amount of titanium white to lift the value.
For a warmer emerald: add a touch of cadmium yellow hue.
For cooler emerald: use phthalo green (PG36 — blue shade) slightly diluted.
Natural: genuine emerald powder (gemstone quality not needed) mixed with oil — produces disappointing pale green; chromium oxide (PG17) is a better natural-mineral green.
For a warmer emerald: add a touch of cadmium yellow hue.
For cooler emerald: use phthalo green (PG36 — blue shade) slightly diluted.
Natural: genuine emerald powder (gemstone quality not needed) mixed with oil — produces disappointing pale green; chromium oxide (PG17) is a better natural-mineral green.
Art Movements
Art Nouveau
Symbolism
Byzantine Art (jewellery representation)
Contemporary Gemstone Art
Famous Works
Klimt
The Kiss (emerald green in mosaic elements)
Art Nouveau jewellery paintings
René Lalique
Byzantine mosaic art
emerald glass tesserae
Available As
Winsor & Newton — Winsor Green (Yellow Shade) (PG36)
Daniel Smith — Phthalo Green (Yellow Shade) (PG36)
Golden — Phthalo Green (Yellow Shade)
Sennelier — Emerald Green (PG7 mix)
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Colour data compiled with AI. Spot an error or have more to add? Leave a Note — ekphra reviews and updates.
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