I kind of like the way [name]Emerald[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name] sounds…
I think [name]Emerald[/name] is charming! And I think that [name]Elizabeth[/name] is nothing to write home about.
[name]Emerald[/name] could definitely be an awesome first, but i hope you’re OK the the nn [name]Emmie[/name]. Because unless you push a different one, [name]Emmie[/name] seems the most natural nn.
There are many more classic names that are far more interesting that [name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]IMO[/name].
[name]Catherine[/name]
[name]Margaret[/name] <3
Josephine
Alice
Helena
I’m sure you’ve thought of all these before 
just wanna throw them out there.
Emerald pairs well with a classic name, especially if you’re worried about the raised eyebrows.
I think [name]Emerald[/name] is very cute. If there can be a [name]Ruby[/name] or [name]Opal[/name] or [name]Pearl[/name] then I see no problem with [name]Emerald[/name]. And [name]Emmy[/name] makes it seem very accessible.
That being said, if you love [name]Elizabeth[/name] I’d go for it. We were in a similar situation when my son was born. DH and I loved [name]Jackson[/name] nn [name]Jack[/name]. It was the very first name on both our lists and we couldn’t picture anything else. Well it turns out that my dad had bad blood with two former law partners from before I was born. [name]One[/name] who’s first name was [name]Jack[/name] and the other who’s last name was [name]Jackson[/name]. We’d tried to name a dog [name]Jack[/name] years ago and he wouldn’t allow it. After talking it over with my mom she said that we shouldn’t let the past rule our decision. In the end my dad loves little [name]Jack[/name] and the new association has cleansed the name and allowed my dad to finally let go of his hang up.
Good luck with your decision! I don’t think you can go wrong.
In general my mother doesn’t like the names I like, but we have very different name styles. She’s more modern, I’m more oldie, so I mostly brush that aside. However, the boy name [name]Joel[/name] is a different thing. I like it, I have a good association with it. My mother would freak out if I used the name - it’s a (slightly abusive) ex boyfriend’s name. Good thing I asked first, or I wouldn’t have known that. Won’t use [name]Joel[/name] now.
It depends to me on what bad blood your mother has with [name]Elizabeth[/name]. If it’s something properly horrid, then I wouldn’t use the name. You don’t want your mother to be put out by seeing/saying a name that brings up bad memories every time. If it’s something less important, such as her having a different style of name, I’d still use [name]Elizabeth[/name] because it is your daughter, not hers.
[name]Emerald[/name] is a lovely name and I think it’d be a great first if things go that way.
Like I said in the original post, it’s an unusual situation. If I brought up [name]Elizabeth[/name] and she said, “Ew I hate that,” it’d be different.
My mom is a pretty closed book about a lot of stuff. And if I used [name]Elizabeth[/name] she would never say a word against it. But the way she mentioned the name not knowing I had even considered it… I can tell she has a very bad association. And I am 90% sure it’s related to the unfortunate circumstances surrounding her interaction with her birth mother.
I guess you’d kind of have to know my mom to understand… But my gut instinct was to let it go. There are millions of names for me to choose from that don’t remind my mother of something really painful.
At first I felt so crestfallen. But it immediately cast a pall over the name for me, and now I feel like I can happily use something else.
A friend from high school just recently named her new daughter [name]Emerald[/name], nn [name]Emmie[/name], and I love it.
I probably wouldn’t use [name]Elizabeth[/name] if I were you but I’m not a huge fan of the name anyways ( except for nn [name]Busy[/name]/[name]Bizzy[/name]).
While I’m not a fan of [name]Emerald[/name], I still think it’s usable. I actually know an [name]Emerald[/name] (late 20’s/early 30’s). She wears it well. Some alliteration I don’t like, but [name]Emerald[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name] doesn’t sound bad to me. If your family really doesn’t like [name]Elizabeth[/name], though, and you aren’t attached to it, I would try and find another name for the mn spot.
I had a similar thing happen when I was talking boy names with my best friend. I said something like “I like quirky/geeky boys names” and she said “As long as it’s not [name]Felix[/name] or something.” I was kind of taken aback at first, but it made me see the name in another light. Not everyone sees [name]Felix[/name] as quirky and cool, some see it as just a crotchety old man’s name.
I think that [name]Emerald[/name] is beautiful! The only bad thing about it, in my personal opinion, is the nn [name]Emmy[/name]. I feel like such an original name shouldn’t have a boring and overdone nn. If you used maybe [name]Mera[/name] or [name]Meri[/name] then I think [name]Emerald[/name] is perfect!
[name]Emerald[/name] isn’t my style, but I would be thrilled to meet one. If [name]Ruby[/name], [name]Opal[/name], and [name]Pearl[/name] work, there’s no reason [name]Emerald[/name] can’t. As previous posters have pointed out, your daughter could always choose to go by [name]Emmy[/name] if she feels that her given name is too unusual. If you choose [name]Emerald[/name] for her first name, please, please don’t use a filler middle name. Something like [name]Emerald[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name] or [name]Emerald[/name] [name]Marie[/name] would be such a letdown. 
I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Emerald[/name], to me it’s quirky and cool (and also Pantones color of the year for 2013), to me it has a lot of the charm of [name]Ruby[/name] without the popularity. I would totally use it as a for a [name]May[/name] baby. I agree that [name]Meri[/name] or [name]Mera[/name] are great NNs.