According to Indian mythology, the name emerald was first translated from Sanskrit as "marakata," meaning "the green of growing things." The name we know it as now is believed to come from an ancient Persian word, translated to Latin as "smaragdus," and eventually over time, corrupted to "emerald". Thousands of years ago, the ancient Egyptians mined the Earth, suffering through extreme conditions to find the prized green emerald. Cleopatra was so taken with these stones that she claimed the mines for herself. In fact, she was known for wearing lots of huge emerald jewelry, and gave emeralds carved with her portrait to her important visitors. Because the rich green color of emerald is the color of spring, it has long symbolized love and rebirth. As the gem of Venus, it was also considered an aid to fertility. Emerald is the birthstone for May and the gem of the 20th and 35th anniversary.