Category Archives: Emeralds

Largest Faceted Emeralds from North Carolina

Production of gem quality emeralds in North Carolina It has been estimated that around 60,000 carats of emeralds had been produced  in the Hiddenite district, the main emerald producing district in North Carolina, from the year 1875 when emeralds were first discovered in North Carolina by J. A. D. Stephenson, up to the year 2007. […]

Madeleine H. Murdock’s Mogul Emerald Necklace – Smithsonian’s New Acquisition

Origin of Name Click here to go to the Taj Mahal Diamond The Mogul Emerald Necklace that was bequeathed to the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution in the year 2007 from the estate of Madeleine H. Murdock, is a historic and remarkable piece of jewelry that has enriched the National Gem Collection. […]

Maximilian Emerald Ring

Origin of name The “Maximilian Emerald Ring” gets its name from its one time owner, Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph, the archduke of Austria and the younger brother of Emperor Francis Joseph (1848-1916), who was installed as the Emperor of Mexico in 1864 by Napoleon III, whose forces captured Mexico City in 1863, with a view of […]

Queen Isabella Emerald

Origin of name The “Isabella Emerald” gets its name from Queen Isabella of Portugal, the queen consort of King Charles V (1516 to 1556), the Holy Roman Emperor, the King of Spain, and Archduke of Austria, who inherited a vast empire extending across Europe, from Spain and the Netherlands to Austria and the Kingdom of […]

Hooker Emerald Brooch

Origin of name The “Hooker Emerald Brooch” gets its name from the one time owner of the famous piece of jewelry Janet Annenberg Hooker, the renowned philanthropist and principal benefactor of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, who donated the 75-carat, half-million-dollar emerald brooch set with diamonds, to the Smithsonian Institution, in 1977. The […]

Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara

Origin of name The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara which belongs to the personal jewelry collection of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II, and was inherited from her grandmother Queen Mary, after her death in 1953, gets its name from Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, wife of the Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, the third son of Czar […]

Godman Emerald and Diamond Necklace

Origin of name The exquisitely crafted emerald and diamond encrusted Godman Necklace, which is part of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s personal jewelry collection, was a gift by the two elderly Godman sisters to her majesty the Queen. The name “Godman Necklace” reflects the name of the original owners of the necklace. The two sisters […]

Gachala Emerald

Origin of name The 858-carat “Gachala Emerald” described as one of the most beautiful emerald gemstones ever known, gets its name from the mining district where the “Vegas de San Juan” mine that produced the renowned gemstone was situated. Though lighter in color the Gachala emeralds were cleaner with less inclusions and more transparent than […]

Emerald Unguentarium (Vessel) in the Imperial Treasury in Vienna

Origin of name The term unguentarium is derived from the Latin word “unguent” which means a soft greasy or thick substance used as ointment or for lubrication. An unguentarium is a small vessel or container that holds an unguent. Unguentaria of different sizes and shapes made of ceramic or glass had been in use since […]

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