Celtic Jewelry

Emeralds have a powerful effect on human beings. According the myth and lore, emeralds bring vitality, fertility and clarity of vision into matters of love, and also business. Egyptians called emeralds the “lover’s stone” and believed that the gem could bring fertility and rebirth. Emeralds are connected to the planet Venus. Egyptians believed they turned deeper and richer when love was strong, and waned with the fall of romance.

This time of year the dose of sunlight rises each day toward the long fuse of Solstice. In the Celtic Tree Zodiac, the period from May 13th to June 9th is represented by Hawthorn—or huath as it was called in old Irish. In the most general sense, this time of year, also known as the Hawthorn moon, is associated with fertility—and also the rising of light.

Contemporary Celts, neo-pagans and others interested in alternative marriage ceremonies have adopted the tradition of handfasting, which involves binding the hands of the couple with ribbon or cord in a public to symbolize marriage vows. The term, handfasting, is from late medieval times, deriving from Old Norse: hand-festa, which means to strike a bargain by joining hands. The notion of a handshake comes from the old tradition of hand fasting.