Emeralds are a green transparent variety of beryl. The earliest known emerald mine is located in the mountain valley of Egypt's Eastern Desert, where mining probably began toward the end of the Ptolemaic period in the first century BC. Most of the mining activity, however, dates to the Roman and Byzantine periods, from the late first century BC through the sixth century AD. Emerald sale, emerald pricing, emerald gemstones, emerald jewelers, overstock emeralds, emerald stones, emerald on sale, high grade emeralds.