November 06, 2012

The Bahia Emerald - The 400 Million Dollar Rock


                                             
                                                 
I enjoy watching documentaries from time to time. It’s always a good thing to learn more and then, if you are interested, you can go ahead and do more research about the topic.
Recently, while checking the television guide, I noticed National Geographic was showing a documentary called “The $400 Million Rock”.
The programme was about the largest emerald ever found. Here’s a bit of the show.
I have written about my ongoing interest and passion for jewellery here. 
Needless to say I had to watch it!
The story is incredible.
“It has a complicated and unfathomable history - will the authorities ever find an owner for the Bahia Emerald – or will it prove just too powerful to shift?

Find out in $400 Million Emerald Mystery and explore the gemstone’s colourful history and analyse the different claims over it.

The unearthing of what may be the world’s largest emerald in Brazil is a truly remarkable story, but the staggering eight-way battle for its ownership is almost too astonishing to believe.

Found in a Bahia mine in 2001, the remarkable stone, valued at $400 million, has since endured a bizarre odyssey, from an abandoned petrol station in San Jose to a submerged vault in Hurricane Katrina-ravaged New Orleans.

With the gemstone trade a world of mystery and intrigue, the 840lb (381Kg) specimen has already changed hands in a Sao Paulo car park, been used as collateral in a diamond deal and even shown up on eBay! “
Since I have been blogging on different topics for quite some time I have noticed that some other bloggers use terms like “war porn” and even “fear porn”!
And no, I am not going to explain how I know this. However for me, this is “jewellery porn”!
I can’t help but think what some creative jewellers could do with this stone! 
It could be used to make pieces like these for example.
                                                       
                                                              
Then again should it be in a museum for all to see? 
I think perhaps that’s the best solution. That is if they ever decide to take it out of hiding!
                                                                        
But when I see pictures like this I am completely torn! 
The late Dame Elizabeth Taylor wearing the Bulgari Suite of emeralds.

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