Famous Emeralds – Milwaukee Jewelry
You could probably guess that the birthstone for March is an emerald, so we explored famous emeralds, naturally. The beautiful deep green hues spark fond springtime memories. Emeralds, in their highest quality, can be more precious than diamonds because they are prone to numerous inclusions when developing (air bubbles and fissures). However, to gemologists inclusions are not necessarily a bad thing. Inclusions make each emerald unique!
For over 4000 years, dating back to Ancient Egypt, emeralds have been a sought-after gemstone by nobles. At Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers, we decided to share with you some of the most famous emeralds in existence.
Famous Emeralds
The Mogul Emerald
In 2001 Christie’s Auction House in London sold this massive 217.80 carat emerald for $2.2 million USD! This historical gemstone dates back to the Indian Emperor Aurangzeb (1695). During this time, India was ruled by the Shi’a Muslim Mogul Emerald, which explains the engraved prayer on one side and the floral poppy design on the other.
Interestingly enough, the stone is thought to have been mined in Colombia!
The Guinness Emerald Crystal
Gemologist agree that Colombia produces some of the highest quality emeralds. This is maybe one of the largest gem-quality emerald crystals unearthed weighing in at a whopping 1,759 carats!
The Bahia Emerald
This 752lb (170,000 carats) emerald cluster from Bahia, Brazil has had a tumultuous story. Narrowly escaping flooding in a New Orleans warehouse during the Katrina Hurricane, it then ended up in a vault in South El Monte, Los Angeles. In 2008, it was reported stolen and it appeared online for $75 million (despite being valued at ~$400 million). Additionally, in 2010 the stone was recovered in Las Vegas and various parties went to court claiming ownership of the emerald cluster. Furthermore, in 2015, a judge issued a restraining order protecting the stone, arguing that it is subject to forfeiture in Brazil because it may have been smuggled out of the country illegally.
The Seringapatam Jewels
A breathtaking suite of emerald jewels comprised of a brooch, bracelet, necklace and pair of drop earrings using beautiful emeralds, diamonds, gold and platinum. The British Military gifted British Major-General George Harris the emeralds following a victory at the Battle of Seringapatam in India in 1799. Years later, he made them into pieces of jewelry for his family.
The Chalk Emerald
Once worn by the Maharani Saheba of the princely state Baroda in India discovered sometime in the 16th or 17th century. Additionally, This 38.40 carat stone is one of the best examples of a Colombian emerald. Eventually, Harry Winston Inc, the famous jewelry house, re-cut the stone, set it in platinum and surrounded by 60 pear-shaped diamonds totaling 15 carats.
While we do not have any of these beautiful examples of emeralds, we do have much more affordible and versatile pieces of emerald jewelry at Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers in both Whitefish Bay and Milwaukee, as well as online!
