Bahia Emerald - The World's Largest Emerald

The Bahia emerald is the largest emerald stone in the world. Emeralds, also known as Panna stones, are rare, especially of good quality and fine color. Bahia have become the most fascinating emeralds in the world because of their large size and the crystals found in it. 

In this blog, we will discuss all about this interesting gemstone. The beautiful deep dark green Panna stone are gorgeous gemstones and are often used to make intricate and traditional or vintage and modern jewelry as well as decorative pieces. All over the globe, these gems are popular but this one piece have gained worldwide attention, why, let's discuss in brief. 

Discovery of Bahia Emerald 

This Bahia emerald is the largest Panna gem with the weight of about 752 lbs that is 341 kgs. Panna gems are found in small sizes very easily but it is rarest of rare that they are found in such large size. 

This largest emerald gemstone of the world was discovered in 2001, in Bahia, which is why it is named the Bahia emerald. It was found in the beryl mines of Bahia, Brazil. It was a cluster of Panna crystals bounded together in a host rock. 

Also read - Aga Khan Emerald - Colombian Emerald That Broke All Records At Christie’s Auction

The Tale of World’s Largest Emerald 

The tale of this 836-pound bahia emerald is very intriguing. This stone, once discovered was then transported to the United States. In the US, the stone somehow was protected from Hurricane Katrina that occurred in 2005, it would have been lost to flood but narrowly escaped the tragedy. 

Bahia Panna gem was stored in a warehouse at that time in a warehouse somewhere in New Orleans. 

In September of 2008, this stone was stolen from a secured vault of South El Monte, Los Angeles County, California, as per the reports. 

The gem since then have been a subject of many legal battles and ownership disputes.

Various traders, miners and real estate people have claimed that they have the ownership of this largest emerald stone. 

Later, it was reported that the gemstone was confiscated by the Sherrif department of Los Angeles. In 2010, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge John A. Kronstadt announced that he would be handling the case of the Bahia emerald ownership. The court ruled in 2015 that FM Holdings, LLC is the purchaser of the stone. 

But, the dispute went on when the US District Court Judge issued a restraining order stating that the gem was subject to forfeiture in Brazil due to allegations of illegal smuggling

Further Reading - Best Emerald Set Jewelry Ideas For Wedding

Bahia Emerald Price 

The Bahian emerald today is said to be worth more than $900 million. This stone have been debated a lot, and its value keeps on increasing. It’s true value is not clear but it is estimated to be worth millions of rupees. 

Even regular Panna gems of small sizes are very expensive. The emerald stone price of 1 to 14 carats ranges between INR 2,000 to 5,00,000 per carat, based on the color, clarity, and cut of the gem. 

Also read - Are emeralds rarer than diamonds?

Conclusion

Bahia emerald is not just any gemstone, it is the world’s largest Panna gemstone. Emeralds are known for their color, powers and symbolism. They are known to bring its wearer good luck, prosperity, communication and creativity. This stone is particularly famous because of its large size since emeralds are not often found in large sizes, not as big as this one. It is a remarkable treasure. 

Want to know more about Panna stones or looking forward to buying them, then buy certified emerald stone online now from the reputable store of Navratan, the online gem bazaar.