HISTORIC EMERALDS

  • The Chalk Emerald (37.82ct)

    The Chalk Emerald is the hallmark of the finest Colombian emeralds. According to legend, the Chalk Emerald was once the centerpiece of an emerald and diamond necklace belonging to a Maharani of the former state of Baroda, India. It originally weighed 38.4 carats, but was recut and set in a platinum and gold ring designed by Harry Winston, Inc. It was donated to the Smithsonian by Mr. and Mrs. O. Roy Chalk in 1972 and is on display in the Gem Gallery at the National Museum of Natural History.

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  • The Aga Khan Emerald (37.00ct)

    The Aga Khan Emerald was formerly part of the Collection of Nina Dyer, the British socialite. It commissioned by Prince Aga Khan for his wife, Nina Dyer, in 1960, and then sold to Van Cleef & Arpels at Christie’s inaugural Magnificent Jewels event in Geneva in 1969. On November 12, 2024, it was offered a second time to Christie’s in Geneva and sold for US$8,859,865.

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  • The Stotesbury Emerald (34.40ct)

    The Stotesbury Emerald was previously in the collections of three high-profile American jewelry collectors: Evalyn Walsh McLean, Eva Stotesbury, and May Bonfils Stanton. It was sold at Sotheby's in New York for US$996,500.

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  • Elizabeth Taylor's Emerald Brooch (23.56ct)

    Elizabeth Taylor's most lasting legacy may be her collection of stunning jewels. Worn by the actress at their marriage in 1964, the brooch was later sold in The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor: The Legendary Jewels Evening Sale at Christie’s in New York in December 2011. It realised $6,130,500, and remains the most expensive single stone emerald jewel ever sold.

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  • The Rockefeller Emerald (18.04ct)

    One of the world's largest and most prized emeralds unearthed in Colombia during the early 20th century. This exceptional emerald found its way into the possession of John D. Rockefeller Jr. in the 1930s. Harry Winston secured the Rockefeller Emerald during the auction for a historic price of $5.5 million.

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  • The Imperial Emerald of Grand Duchess Vladimir of Russia (75.61ct)

    This legendary gem weighing 75.61 carats was part of the Russian Imperial collection for more than 100 years. Offered at auction by Christie’s in Geneva in May 2019, it was purchased by a private collector for $4.5 million.

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  • The Hooker Emerald (75.47ct)

    The historic Hooker Emerald is considered especially rare for its intense color and lack of inclusions at its magnificent size. Legend has it, it once belonged to the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Tiffany & Co. purchased the emerald at auction in 1911 and Mrs. Janet Annenberg Hooker purchased the brooch from Tiffany in 1955. In 1977 she donated it to the Smithsonian. The Hooker Emerald is on display in the Gem Gallery at the National Museum of Natural History.

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  • The Maximilian Emerald (21.04ct)

    21.04-carat Colombian emerald was once set in a ring worn by Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph. An Austrian archduke crowned emperor of Mexico. The emerald was the first important gemstone to enter Mrs. Marjorie Merriweather Post's collection in 1928. The emerald was remounted in 1949 by Cartier. Mrs. Post donated the Maximilian Emerald Ring to the Smithsonian in 1964. The Maximilian Emerald is on display in the Gem Gallery at the National Museum of Natural History.

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