Детали

COLNH:G58845.1

Colchester Collections

emerald, beryl

Emeralds are a gemstone variety of the mineral beryl, characterised by their green colouration as a result of the present of small amounts of chromium or vanadium in the mineral.This specimen is in the Mythical Creatures exhibition as part of the Dragon's hoard. According to some legends, dragons were known for hoarding treasure. This originated in early medieval stories. One account from the poem Beowulf describes the theft of a golden cup from a dragon’s hoard. The dragon, in anger at their treasure being stolen, destroyed the nearby town.