8 Extraordinary Emeralds Every Collector Should Know

Emeralds join rubies and sapphires as the jewelry world’s most revered—and coveted—precious gemstones. They are also celebrity magnets, long associated with some of the culture’s most formidable (Cleopatra), fashionable (Jackie Kennedy) and glamorous (Elizabeth Taylor) women. And they are forever darlings of the red carpet (consider, for a recent example, Priyanka Chopra Jonas in Bulgari at the 2025 Met Gala).

Colombian emeralds are considered the best you can get. Brazil is another noteworthy producer of the stone, and Zambia is the newest source for gem-quality emeralds, which are prized for their durability and minimal inclusions. Certainly the world’s most famous emeralds are well-documented and iconic. But there are plenty of other exceptional emerald “rock”-stars that are sharing the limelight.

Below, find eight such wonders and discover their fascinating stories:

1. Mughal Carved Emerald Necklace

A highlight of Christe’s upcoming Magnificent Jewels sale in New York, this antique necklace is an exceptional example of the lapidary mastery and opulence that defined the Mughal Empire, a powerful dynasty that ruled from the 16th to 19th centuries. The jewel features five Colombian emeralds totaling about 1,150 carats and its centerpiece is particularly noteworthy: Weighing 470 carats, the hexagonal carved emerald is inscribed with the name “Ahmad Shah Durr-I Durran,” founder of the Durrani Empire of Afghanistan and northwest India. The same inscription also appears on two of the world’s most legendary gems—the Timur Ruby and the Koh-I-Noor diamond—indicating that they shared a parallel journey with this emerald through the annals of Mughal history. Christie’s specialist Rahul Kadakia described the piece as one of the most important examples of Mughal jewelry ever to come auction, which is saying a lot.

2. Aga Khan Emerald

This 37-carat emerald has the distinction of coming to auction twice: In 1969 it sold at Christie’s Geneva for $75,000; in 2024, it returned to a sale at the same location. The final hammer price clocked in at more than $8 million, setting a world record for the most expensive emerald sold at auction. The Aga Khan emerald is also unique in that it is associated with three prestigious jewelers: Cartier, from whom Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan commissioned a brooch with the emerald in 1960; Van Cleef & Arpels, which bought it at the first Christie’s Geneva auction in 1969; and Harry Winston who eventually acquired it and transformed into a pendant.

3. Shipwreck Emerald

In 1622, the Nuestra Señora de Atocha was on its way back to Spain from Colombia and Panama when it sank in the Florida Keys. Treasure hunters discovered the shipwreck in 1985 and found a 5.27-carat octagonal step-cut emerald mounted on a gold band among the salvaged objects. As one of the financial backers of the ship’s recovery, the late Frank Perdue, of Perdue Farms fame, had the emerald re-cut and mounted into the ring he used to propose to his wife, Mitzi, in 1988. A standout jewel from a Sotheby’s auction of Ms. Perdue’s collection in 2022, it sold for $1.2 million. Proceeds from its sale were donated to the humanitarian efforts happening in war-torn Ukraine.

4. Oscar Heyman Emerald Brooch for Marjorie Merriweather Post

Part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA)—and a standout piece in its recently-opened Beyond Brilliance jewelry gallery—this Art Deco emerald brooch belonged to General Foods heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post. Acquired by the American retailer Marcus & Company in the 1920s, the emerald had a channel at the top allowing it to be strung on a necklace but was later reworked into a brooch by Oscar Heyman Brothers in 1929 (the luxury New York jeweler still in operation today). The brooch’s 60-carat emerald centerpiece was carved and engraved in India in the 17th century, according to the MFA: “It would have originally come to India through Colombian or Ecuadorian channels on Portuguese ships,” Emily Stoehrer, the museum’s Rita J. Kaplan and Susan B. Kaplan Curator of Jewelry, told Galerie in 2024.

5. Post Emerald Necklace

It must have been difficult for Marjorie Merriweather Post to part with this impressive jewel—another extravagant emerald piece—but her gift to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in 1964 means we all get to enjoy its magnificence. An undeniable highlight of the museum’s Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals, the platinum necklace was made by Cartier in 1928 or 1929 and features 24 baroque-cut emerald drops, each crowned with a smaller emerald bead, alongside brilliant white diamonds. The Post emerald brooch discussed above dates from the same period and in fact, according to the Smithsonian, the heiress often wore it attached to this necklace as a pendant.

6. Boghossian Palmette Necklace

Founded in 1868, the Geneva-based heritage fine jewelry house of Boghossian has long been known for favoring the best of the best colored gemstones. The 11 emeralds that distinguish its Palmette necklace, inspired by the Syrian city of Palmyra, are no exception. It took the jeweler a number of years to amass the collection of perfectly matched natural, untreated Colombian emeralds weighing approximately 3.03 carats to 12.34 each before they were set in a foliate design among bright white colorless diamonds. The time and patience it took to gather the  emeralds well was worth it: In 2017, the impressive jewel fetched $6 million at a Christie’s sale, breaking the world record price for a “no oil” emerald necklace.

7. Chopard Insofu Emerald

Leave it to Chopard’s co-president and artistic director Caroline Scheufele to see the potential of a 6,225-carat hunk of rough emerald to become an entire collection of jewels that celebrate the stone’s vivid, luxuriant shade of green and the natural treasures of its country of origin. Discovered in Zambia’s Kagem mine a few years ago, and acquired by Chopard in 2022, the gem was later named Insofu (the word for “elephant” in the local Bemba language) because of its colossal size and trunk-like shape. Ultimately, Chopard’s master stone cutters coaxed 850 carats of breathtaking stones from the Insofu emerald, some of which surfaced in a parure composed of a necklace, a pair of earrings and a ring in 2024. This year’s follow up was more robust: A high jewelry collection of 15 exquisite pieces that reflect the organic, fluid lines of nature, abstract forms, and the enduring elegance of the Art Deco era.

8. Patricia Emerald

Among the American Museum of Natural History’s most treasured icons, this striking, 632-carat columnar crystal specimen is considered one of the world’s most magnificent uncut emeralds. Discovered around 1920 in the Chivor mine of Colombia, the Patricia stands just over 2.5 inches tall, has a unique cylindrical shape, and is a true rarity—most emerald crystals of comparable size have been cut into gems and sold for use in jewelry. “Only a small number of large emeralds have been saved, and we are indeed lucky to have one of the fabulous few,” George Harlow, currently the curator emeritus of the museum’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, has said.