Atocha Star Emerald
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. It was part of the treasure on board the ship Nuestra Señora de Atocha, 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 and Deo Fisher searched for the Atocha for 16 years and in 1985 found the mother lode worth more than $400 million US. 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, 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 statue of an eagle, known as The Golden Eagle or The Maltese Eagle.