Emeralds are gem-quality specimens of the beryl mineral family with a rich, distinctly green color. They are found in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks in a small number of locations worldwide. For over 5000 years, emeralds have been one of the most desirable and valuable colored gemstones.
For example, the Agway Elevator was built on a concrete mat 3 feet thick which in turn rests on a natural foundation of stiff clay. But whatever the foundation for the elevator was, be it wood pilings or concrete slabs, construction of the elevator itself could begin once the base was completed.
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. The term column applies especially to a large round support (the shaft of the column) with a capital and a base or pedestal and made of stone, or appearing to be so. A small wooden or metal support is typically called a post, and supports with a rectangular or other non-round section are usually called piers. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces.