The Atocha Star is a 400-year-old
emerald, weighing more than before being cut to .
The
emerald is estimated to be worth between $3.2 and $5 million (USD).
It was part of the treasure on board the ship
Nuestra Señora de Atocha
''Nuestra Señora de Atocha'' ( es, Our Lady of Atocha) was a Spanish treasure galleon and the most widely known vessel of a fleet of ships that sank in a hurricane off the Florida Keys in 1622. At the time of her sinking, ''Nuestra Señora de ...
, also referred to as the ''
Atocha''. The ''Atocha'' was the largest Spanish treasure galleon in a fleet of twenty-eight ships bound for Spain which sank along with seven others in a hurricane on September 6, 1622.
It sank with the ''Atocha Star'' emerald, the highest graded emerald of all ''Atocha Emeralds''.
History
Mel
Mel, Mels or MEL may refer to:
Biology
* Mouse erythroleukemia cell line (MEL)
* National Herbarium of Victoria, a herbarium with the Index Herbariorum code MEL
People
* Mel (given name), the abbreviated version of several given names (including ...
and Deo Fisher searched for the ''Atocha'' for 16 years and in 1985 found the ''mother lode'' worth more than $400 million US (approximately 1/2 of the treasure listed on the manifest). They discovered "Emerald City" about from the "main pile" of the ''Atocha''. ''Emerald City'' yielded 13,500 carats of emeralds that were originally mined at
Muzo
Muzo () is a town and municipality in the Western Boyacá Province, part of the department of Boyacá, Colombia. It is widely known as the world capital of emeralds for the mines containing the world's highest quality gems of this type. Muzo ...
,
Colombia.
The "Atocha Star" emerald was graded as 1AA with an uncut weight of 25.87 carats. It was chosen by Mel Fisher as a gift to Deo Fisher, his wife. The emerald was selected based on its size, brilliant color, and quality.
Generally, artifacts of this kind are not altered because of their historical significance; however, as a gift for Deo Fisher, in 1992 the emerald was cut down to 12.72 carats, making it one of the largest and the only named cut emerald from the ''Atocha''.
The ''Atocha Star'' is currently mounted between the claws of an solid
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
statue of an
eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...
, known as ''
The Golden Eagle'' or ''
The Maltese Eagle''.
Theft
On May 30, 2016, the Golden Eagle on which the Atocha Star Emerald is mounted, was stolen from its owner Ron Shore, in Vancouver, British Columbia. The heist occurred in the 4700 block of 57th street while it was being loaded into a vehicle. The statue had been on display for four days at the Art Vancouver exhibit and has still not been located. Delta Police are asking if anybody hears anything or happens to see this statue for sale somewhere that they contact Delta Police.
See also
*
The Golden Eagle
*
Colombian emeralds
Emeralds are green precious gemstones that are mined in various geological settings. They are minerals in the beryl group of silicates. For more than 4,000 years, emeralds have been among the most valuable of all jewels. Colombia, located in n ...
*
Muzo
Muzo () is a town and municipality in the Western Boyacá Province, part of the department of Boyacá, Colombia. It is widely known as the world capital of emeralds for the mines containing the world's highest quality gems of this type. Muzo ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atocha Star Emerald
Individual emeralds
Colombian emeralds