A massive 69-kilogramme emerald the size of a telly is to go under the hammer with an expected sale price of a breathtaking GBP 130 million.
The raw uncut stone with a moss green colour, called the ‘Canga Emerald’, will be auctioned on 11th December in Salvador, in Brazil’s state of Bahia.
The huge stone was mined in Pindobacu, known as the ‘City of Emeralds’. Brazil is one of the world’s leading sources of emeralds, which are often prized for their clarity and colour.
Auctioneers Genas Auctions say the emerald measures 60 centimetres by 20 centimetres by 20 centimetres (or 23 inches by 7.8 inches by 7.8 inches).
It has a starting bid set at BRL 100 million (GBP 13 million) but experts have placed a value estimate of up to BRL 1 billion (GBP 130 million).
The sale follows an international row over a ‘cursed’ 381-kilogramme emerald the size of a fridge, with an estimated worth of BRL 2.3 billion (GBP 298 million) that was illegally sold in the USA.
The stone, known as the ‘Bahia Emerald’, is said to have been smuggled out of Brazil and sold to private buyers in Los Angeles.
It is now being held in secure storage in Washington DC while justice officials in Brazil and the US establish its legal status.
Brazilian dealers Elson Alves Ribeiro and Ruy Saraiva Filho have already been convicted of receiving stolen goods, false documentation and smuggling.
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below. Story By: Clive Goodman, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
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