Gemstones include diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds. The latter is a remarkable gem characterized by its color, cut, carat weight and inclusions. It has a hardness of 7.5 – 8.0 on the Mohs scale. It is a variety of beryl, like aquamarine or morganite, for example. Its price varies according to its characteristics, quality and rarity.
What’s more, they can be set in an engagement ring (to symbolize fidelity), a necklace or a bracelet. They can also be found on a variety of other beauty accessories, such as earrings. They are generally found in mines and deposits in countries such as Colombia, Brazil, Egypt, Russia, Zambia, Austria, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan.
Discover with Planetys the history and gemological characteristics of the world’s most beautiful emeralds.
Isabella emerald
The Isabella emerald is a top-quality gemstone estimated to weigh 964 carats. It is considered the world’s largest gem-quality faceted emerald. First discovered in an old mine in Colombia, it was then in its raw state and found to have existed for millions of years.
Later, the emerald was found amid the debris of a sunken ship in 1757. The discovery was made in 1993 off the coast of Florida. It seems that the piece had long been the property of the famous Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés. He is said to have received it as a gift from Moctezuma, king of the Aztec empire.
Devonshire emerald
Devonshire emerald is considered the world’s best-known emerald. Over 170 years ago, this stone was presented to the Duke of Devonshire. He received it as a gift in 1831 from Peter I, then Emperor of Brazil. This 1,384-carat emerald is a rare stone that sparkles with its brilliant green color.
The Devonshire emerald was extracted from a famous mine called Muzo in the Boyacá department of Colombia. Indeed, this mine is renowned for its particularly rare gems. In fact, it produces the purest gems of remarkable size.
Devonshire Emerald
The Moctezuma emerald
Part of the treasure of the Aztec emperor, the Moctezuma emerald is an enormous cut stone in the shape of a pyramid. In reality, it was a limestone block wrapped in beryl crystals. So much so that this piece, which is one of the largest emeralds in the world, was used by Aztec judges to deliberate during trials.
Indeed, the Moctezuma emerald helped them determine whether or not a defendant was guilty. Later, it became part of the crown jewelry of François Ier. Eventually, it was cut into several smaller gemstones. This is why these jewels can be found today in Vienna’s Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology.
The Mim Emerald
The Mim emerald
The precious 1,390-carat crystal is housed in the Mim Museum in Beirut, Lebanon. What’s more, it takes the form of a large uncut dihexagonal crystal. With a translucent lower part, the piece has a magnificent dark green color. The Mim emerald is also transparent, with several inclusions in its upper part.
Little is known about this treasure, which was discovered in Colombia in 2014. However, its shape and color make it one of the most beautiful emeralds. Indeed, it is a jewel of striking purity.
The Great Mogul emerald
Found in the mines of Colombia, this gemstone is 10 cm high, with an estimated weight of 217 carats. This makes it one of the largest gem-quality emeralds. It was sold to a wealthy leader of India’s Mughal Empire.
The Great Mughal emerald has a special feature that makes it exceptional. The gemstone features religious inscriptions and floral motifs dating back to the 16th century. With these features, the piece attests to the high artistic level of India during the Mughal period.
The Topkapi emerald
The jewel of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, this piece is a veritable treasure trove. All we know about this emerald is that it is 16,300 carats. However, the palace museum also owns another jewel, the Topkapi emerald dagger. In 1746, this was presented to Nadir Shah, known as the “Napoleon of Persia”, by Ottoman ruler Sultan Mahmud I.
The Topkapi Emerald
This dagger is a jewelry product made by the sultan’s royal craftsmen in the mid-18th century. What’s more, the handle of this dagger is set with three enormous gems of Colombian origin. The Topkapi emerald dagger is also adorned with other gems, in this case diamonds.
The Imperial Treasure Emerald
With a weight of 2,205 carats, the Imperial Treasure Emerald is a unique stone. It has been cut from a raw emerald crystal weighing almost 2,700 carats. It is part of the collection of secular and ecclesiastical treasures housed in the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria.
The piece is one of the jewels assembled by the House of Habsburg over the centuries. It is a jewel of the Austrian Empire, included in the jewels that could not be set in imperial crowns because of their unique size.
Patricia emerald
Patricia emerald
First and foremost, this stone is one of the most beautiful gems in the emerald category. What’s more, Patricia emerald is renowned for the beauty of its inclusions and its unique quality. On display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, it weighs 632 carats.
The emerald was discovered in the 19th century, in the heart of the Chivor mine, in Colombia’s Boyaca department. Its name was inspired by that of the mine owner’s daughter. With its 12 sides, the Patricia emerald is said to be dihexagonal.
Saint Louis emerald
This lush green gemstone was set in the central lily of France’s Holy Crown. Weighing 51.60 carats, it was cut in antiquity. The Saint Louis emerald was extracted from Austrian mines in the same way as ancient European gems.
The stone belonged to Louis IX (Saint Louis) for a time. Henri I then made a gift of this Great Emerald to the Abbey of Saint-Denis. He wanted the stone to adorn the crowns of the kings of France.
The Gachalá emerald
The Gachala emerald is a stone weighing 858 carats, or approximately 172g. This jewel in the shape of a regular hexagon once belonged to Harry Winston. The latter, a New York-based jewelry manufacturer, gave it to the Smithsonian Institution in the 19th century.
The stone is a magnificent piece discovered in 1967 in the Vega de San Juan mine in Colombia. Its name pays homage to the Gachalá district where the mine was located. Gachala emerald is a rough stone with an intense green color.
Gachalá Emerald
Bahia emerald
This magnificent piece is considered the largest gem ever found in a single shard. The enormous emerald weighs around 1.7 million carats, equivalent to 752 pounds. The stone was found in eastern Brazil, in the Bahia region.
Today, the Bahia emerald is a hidden gem at the bottom of a vault in Los Angeles (USA). The gemstone is said to be worth up to $925 million.
Inkalamu emerald (Lion emerald)
Inkalamu emerald
This rough crystal is considered exceptional, thanks to its unique quality. It is one of the gems discovered in Zambia at the Kagem mine. Kagem, 75% owned by the Gemfields group, is the world’s largest open-pit mine.
The Inkalamu emerald (which means lion in Bemba, a language spoken in Zambia and neighboring countries) is an enormous 5,655-carat stone. It was discovered on October 2, 2018 by geologist Debapriya Rakshit and emerald mining specialist Richard-Antoine Kapeta.
The emperor of Caroline
This 64.82-carat stone is a famous emerald found in Hiddenite, North Carolina. It is said to have been inspired by one of Catherine the Great’s precious jewels. Indeed, the empress was the proud owner of an exceptional emerald of Colombian origin. Surrounded by diamonds, the hexagonal piece was mounted on a brooch.
Catherine the Great’s emerald was sold at Christie’s auction. The lucky bidder acquired it for over $1.65 million. Currently, however, the stone is housed at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh.
Emerald chalk
Emerald Chalk belonged to the royal rulers of a princely state in India. It was recut in the 20th century to be set in a ring (manufactured by Harry Winston, Inc.). Sixty pear-shaped diamonds surround the emerald on this jewel. In 1972, the Smithsonian Natural History Museum received the emerald ring as a gift.
With an original weight of 38.40 carats, this emerald chalk was the centerpiece of a necklace worn by Maharani Saheba. The jewel, which was also composed of diamonds, was part of the legacy of Maharajah Cooch Behar. The latter was Maharani Saheba’s son.
LKA and Stephenson emeralds
The LKA is a green stone discovered in 1984 in a region in the heart of North Carolina. This emerald was considered the most intact of North America’s larger stones. Today, however, the 1,680-carat stone is the second-largest intact emerald on the continent.
With an estimated weight of 1,438 carats, the Stephenson emerald was unearthed in 1969. It too is one of North America’s largest gems. This stone and the LKA have been in the American Museum of Natural History in New York since the 1990s.
LKA and Stephenson emeralds
The emerald Buddha
Weighing in at 2,620 carats, the Emerald Buddha is a sacred piece representing Siddhartha Gautama. It was sculpted in 2006 from a 3,600-carat rough gemstone of Zambian origin. The latter stone is said to have been discovered in Africa in 1994, before arriving in Thailand to be sold.
The 3,600-carat crystal was purchased by a gem merchant. The buyer had planned to divide it into several smaller emeralds, but in the end did not. With its magnificent bluish-green color, the Emerald Buddha remains one of the world’s largest carved gems.
The Emerald Unguentarium
The Unguentarium
This green piece was sculpted in 1641 with great care, as evidenced by its finesse. It is, in fact, a 2,860-carat emerald vase. The exceptionally beautiful stone is on display at the Imperial Treasury in Vienna, Austria.
The Unguentarium is one of a number of emeralds to have been cut in the shape of an object. In fact, it was cut from a large crystal of Colombian origin. The exact weight is not known, but it is estimated at over 3,000 carats.
