Esmeraldas of the most expensive shipwreck in history, for sale
Cleopatra used them.Elizabeth Taylor loved them.For the Egyptians they brought eternal life.Although diamonds have the reputation of being the best friend of women, emeralds are de facto more rare ... and more valuable.
"Looking for by their rich color, their real history and their recognizable appearance, emeralds are one of the most emblematic precious stones of the jewel industry," said Amanda Gizzi, spokesman for Jewelers of America, an association of the New York -based guild.
On April 25, the public will have the opportunity to have some of the most splendid and valuable emeralds in the world, when they go on sale at the Guernsey's auction in New York.
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The rare auction emeralds, which add upof the emerald.
The auction star is a collection of carved emeralds from the Spanish ship shipwrecked Our Lady of Atocha, a galleon that sank on the Florida coast in 1622.
PublicidadThe shipwreck is considered "the most valuable in history", according to the catalog that accompanies the auction, thanks in large part to its numerous emeralds of the Colombian region of Muzo, much appreciated for its intense green color.
Sunk treasure
When the Treasury hunter Mel Fisher prepared to rescue the lost loot from the galleon in the 1980s, he hired Marcial to evaluate the stones and jewels recovered from the ship's ruins.
Several of these stones, given to Marcial as payment for their work, are those that will now be offered by Guernsey's.Among them are the nine pillars of the Andes, a group of nine raw stones that total more than 91 carats and with an estimated price of between 2.5 and 3.5 million dollars (MDD);and the queen of the sea of 4.39 carats, which is estimated to reach a price of 250,000 to 350,000 dollars.
The glory of 887 carats will also be auctioned, which Guernsey's describes as "one of the greatest museum quality emeralds in the world", (with an estimated value of 4 to 5 million pesos);And the Emerald star of Marcial de Gomar, the largest emerald star ever found (with an approximate value of 2 to 3 million pesos), notable for its size in cabujón and for being one of the eleven emeralds star that are known.
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Unique and intact
The trends in jewelry that see growing popularity in colored stones have made emeralds more desired in recent years.In fact, Gizzi predicts that 2017 "will be a great year" for colored stones, including emeralds.
Member of the Berilo Mineralogical Family, emeralds owe their rich green color to chromium, vanadium or iron deposits in the mines.
In the process, most stones form inclusions, small fractures or bubbles within their structure that can make them especially fragile.
Although the best emeralds, such as the best diamonds, are "clear" or without inclusions, connoisseurs generally also appreciate some inclusions, which they call "gardens."
However, because the general buyer tends to prefer clear stones, many commercial jewels treat their emeralds so that the gardens are less visible.
But the stones of the Marcial de Gomar collection have not been subjected to such manipulations.
Loose emeralds, some carved and others raw, represent some of the best natural stones out of the world mines, according to Guernsey's.
The collection
The collection de Marcial no sólo incluye piedras. Además de varias monedas de oro y plata, también recuperadas del galeón Atocha, la subasta ofrece joyas espectaculares, diseñadas por el mismo Marcial, como la Corona de Muzo, que incluye una esmeralda del naufragio de 24.34 quilates, ribeteada con esmeraldas más pequeñas y diamantes (valorada en 5 a 6 mdd).
Or the extraordinary conqueror, prepared with 889 diamonds and 35 emeralds, which can be used as a throat and as tiara (with an approximate price of between 150,000 and 250,000 dollars).
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The fact that the auction is also celebrated online in addition to in situ in New York may seem strange: it is a risky business, after all, auction millions of dollars for a necklace or a precious stone that you have not seen.
However, the founder of the Arlan Ettinger auction house commented that "some bidders do buy very expensive objects without seeing them in person."
He added that "the emeralds are in our Manhattan vault, and can be seen at any time between now and April 25".
