Origin of name The Chalk Emerald Ring which is an important and famous exhibit in the National Gem Collection of the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution, gets its name from the one time owner of the emerald Mrs. Claire Chalk, wife of Oscar Roy Chalk, the renowned New York entrepreneur who […]
Category Archives: Famous Gemstones
Catherine the Great, a great patron of the arts, literature and education Catherine II also known as Catherine the Great, was one of the greatest monarchs in the history of Russia, who ruled for 34 years from 1762 to 1796. Catherine II together with Peter the Great are considered as two of the greatest rulers […]
Origin of name Stephanie de Beauharnais, the Grand Duchess of Baden, was a niece to Alexandre Vicomte de Beauharnais, the first husband of Empress Josephine de Beauharnais, who was killed during the upheavals of the French revolution. On March 9, 1796, when Napoleon Bonaparte married Josephine de Beauharnais, he became the step-father to two of […]
Origin of name The Atocha Emeralds refer to the Emeralds originally of Muzo and Chivor origins in Colombia, which were re-discovered from the high profile shipwreck of the Spanish treasure galleon, the “Nuestra Senora de Atocha” which sank in a hurricane off the coast of Florida on September 6, 1622, about 35 miles (56 km) […]
Origin of name The carved emerald representing the profile of a woman’s head, carved out of a natural emerald crystal discovered in the Muzo mines of Colombia, was donated to the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution, at Washington D.C. in the year 2003, by Shri Ashok Kumar Sancheti, the proprietor of […]
Origin of name “Lua de Maraba” in the Portuguese language means “The Moon of Maraba.” Maraba is one of the biggest cities in the State of Para, the second largest state area wise situated in the northern region of Brazil in the lower Amazon basin. Maraba, whose name is derived from the Tupi language, spoken […]
Origin of name “Amarelo” in the Portuguese language means “Yellow,” and therefore “Topaz Amarelo” simply means “Yellow Topaz.” This is an obvious reference to the color of this enormous gemstone, from which the name appears to have been derived. Yellow is one of the commonest colors in which topaz exists in nature, besides other colors […]
Origin of name The “El-Dorado Topaz” discovered in Minas Gerais in Brazil, seems to get its name from the legend of El-Dorado, the city of the legendary golden king of South America, who at the time of his inauguration to the high office, was completely covered with gold dust over a layer of sticky mud […]
Origin of name The Braganza Diamond, previously thought to be a diamond but now considered to be a giant topaz crystal was discovered in Minas Gerais in Brazil, in the late 18th century, and in accordance with the royal decree prevalent at that time, found its way to the Colonial Governor’s house in Rio de […]
Origin of Name The Hall Sapphire and Diamond Necklace gets its name from the Late Mrs. Evelyn Annenberg Jaffe Hall, newspaper heiress, philanthropist and a connoisseur, collector and patron of the Arts, who following the example set by her elder sister Mrs. Janet Annenberg Hooker, who donated the US$500,000 worth Hooker Emerald Brooch to the […]