My bumpy ride along the rocky roads of the Red Sea was just the beginning. The trek to the Cleopatra's Emerald Mines was a hot, dusty trip over treacherous desert backroads that even the camels wouldn't go near. Finally we arrived at a couple of gaping holes in the mountain rock. Hard to believe, but centuries ago this was it-Cleopatra's jewelry box.

During her reign, the Egyptian Queen ruled over thousands of men whose sole purpose was to dig deep into the earth and find emeralds for her majesty. After generations, the best stones are long gone. But I still wanted to see this spot for myself. The mines are part of jewelry history. You could even say that this is where the world's obsession with emeralds began.

And passion for the precious green gem continues to burn and our latest necklace is more fuel for the fire. Our Emerald Oval Necklace boasts a minimum 150+ carats* of polished smooth, oval emeralds. Each gem varies slightly in color and shape and the emeralds graduate in size from the plus-sized center stone. The vivid green gems are joined together with hand-twisted, gold-filled wire and the entire 16" (plus 2" extender) strand fastens with a gold-filled chain and toggle clasp. This is 150 carats of green...fit for a Queen! To complete the set, add a pair of Emerald Oval Earrings (15 ctw) that dangle from gold-filled wires, with vermeil Balinese beads and a luminous white freshwater pearl.