Envious of Emeralds
The undeniable beauty of the natural emerald has enchanted the human eye since ancient times. Geologists date the oldest emeralds back 2.97 billion years. First mined in Egypt around 1500 BCE, Queen Cleopatra loved the jewel so much that she claimed all of Egypt’s emerald mines during her reign.
Emeralds, valued by early civilizations for their intense bold color, carried religious and cultural significance as well. Egyptians buried pharaohs with emeralds to ease their journey to the afterlife, while Romans believed emeralds safeguarded wearers from evil spirits and disease. Sacred Hindu writings mention emeralds, and the people of ancient India looked to emeralds to ensure wealth, purity, and success in battle.
Both European royalty and clergy also prized emeralds, both as symbols of wealth and talismans of good health and prosperity. When Spanish conquistadors discovered emeralds in what is now South America, the European appetite for emeralds only grew to accommodate the wealth of jewels the Spanish seized and carried home.
Modern adventurers also set their sights on precious gems. American treasure hunter Mel Fisher discovered the wreck of the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Atocha in 1985. The Atocha sank off the coast of the Florida Keys during a storm in September of 1622. Emeralds, gold and silver coins, and elaborate jewelry were among the treasures recovered from the wreck. Fisher soon found himself embroiled in an 8-year legal battle with the state of Florida, who claimed 25% of his findings. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in Fisher’s favor, giving his company full rights to the recovered treasure. The interest roused by the amazing discovering and ensuing legal drama was huge. As a result, emeralds surged in popularity for years to come.
