Emeralds from 400-Year-Old Shipwreck on Display
February 13, 24
(IDEX Online) - Emerald jewelry that lay undiscovered at the bottom of the sea for 363 years has gone on display in New York.
Three items - a royal orb, a cross on a necklace, and a ring - have been bought by Muzo Emerald Colombia, the company that know operates the iconic mine where the emeralds were originally mined.
They were on board the the treasure galleon Nuestra Senora de Atocha, which was packed with gold, silver, tobacco and other high-value cargo.
It sank in 1622 during the hurricane season in the Florida Keys, between the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, with the loss of 265 lives.
A second hurricane scattered the remains of the shipwreck, but team of divers finally located it in 1985.
The emerald jewelry they found were identified from cargo documents and in 2014 Muzo acquired three prominent pieces, which together are now known as the Muzo Private Collection.
There are believed to be thousands more emeralds still on the sea floor.
The collection made its US debut last month at The Winter Show, an invitation-only event in New York.
Pics courtesy Muzo Emerald Colombia