Famous Stones

Bahia Emerald

Although not Colombian, the Bahia Emerald is a large piece of rough emerald matrix of recent acclaim. Although not of gem quality the emeralds within the matrix are estimated to weigh about 180,000 carats. The stone has been through a decade of arguments and legal battles as to define who is the true owner of the stone. After narrowly escaping its storage vault being flooded in hurricane Katrina, the stone ended up being seized by authorities in Las Vegas. A lengthy legal of claims and appeals made at an LA county court resulted in the stone being awarded to Fm Holdings LLC in June 2015. This is the subject of a National Geographic documentary titled “400 Million Dollar Emerald” that is widely available online.

Duke Of Devonshire Emerald

At 1384 carats this emerald is reconed to be one of the largest uncut Colombian emeralds in existence. Examination confirms its origin is the Muzo region, its date of discovery combined with its size make it an exceptionally rare gem. It was given (or possibly sold) to the the 6th Duke of Devonshire by Emperor Pedro I of Brazil. It remained in his private collection for another 20 years before making its debut in London at the Great Exhibition of 1851, held at the infamous Crystal Palace. It is currently exhibited in the Natural History museum of London.

Galachea Emerald

The Galacha Emerald was discovered by miners in the La Vega de San Juan mine in Gachalá, Colombia, in 1967. The La Vega de San Juan mine is near the more widely known Chivor mine, both are located in Colombia’s eastern emerald belt some distance from the mines at Muzo. At 858 carats the stone is large by any measure and is now in the collection of the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.

Itoco Emerald

The recently discovered Itoco emerald was unearthed in 2009 at the La pita mine in Boyaca. This crystal of 472 carats was on display at the GIA museum in Carlsbad for six months, an accolade few gems can aspire to. The name “Itoco” was gleaned from the name of a river in the Muzo region that produced the crystal. Due to the demand for cut stones internationally in the modern market it is very unusual for such a large fine crystal to remain intact.

Enjoying this information? click here to subscribe to our FREE Newsletter & Specialist Emerald Reports

Famous Stones

Famous Stones

IEEX Emeralds

London Office

BOGOTA OFFICE

Instagram