Since I first published this list in 2008, a few changes have been made, but the remarkable history of each of these large crystals remains fascinating and intriguing. I have been fornatuate to be able to recover the prominence of each of these great discoveries.
Photos of each of these emeralds, as well as many others will be posted to this blog over the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
Rank cts
1
1,869 Hill
Emerald, NAEM mine, 2003, 19.5 cm, HMNS
2
1,686 LKA
Emerald, NAEM mine, 1984, 3.8 x 11.4 cm, LKA
3
1,493 Reitzel/Williams/Harwell Twin, Adams mine,
1971, 10.5 x 2.7 cm, (Wilber/Funk), SI
4
1,492 Lineberger Emerald,
Crabtree Mine, 1979, 3 x 15 cm, (whereabouts unknown)
5
1,438 Finger
[aka Stevenson] Emerald, NAEM mine, 1969, 5.4 x 7.3 cm, (AGI), LKA
6
1,400 Hill
Emerald, NAEM mine, 2007, NAEM
7 1,377
Bolick/Arnold Cluster, Adams mine, 1971, SI,
fractured beyond repair
8 1,276 Hidden Emerald, Adams mine, 1881, 21.6 cm,
stolen 1950 from AMNH, still missing
9 1,270 Hidden Emerald, Adams mine, 1886, 7.0 x 4.1
cm, SI
10 1,215 Baltzley
Twin, NAEM mine, 1970
11
965 Hill Emerald, NAEM mine, 2006, HMNS
12 934.9 Bolick Twin, Adams mine, 1971, 14.0 x 6.5
x 3.5 cm, (Sharp/Hill-Duncan), HMNS
13
900 Reitzel/Williams/Harwell Twin, Adams mine,
1971, (Morton/Bolick/Barlow), HMNS
14
858 Hill Empress Caroline Emerald, NAEM mine,
1998, SEEC
15 817.5 Baltzley
Twin, NAEM mine, 1971
16
750 Wright Emerald, Ellis mine, 1907, 3.8 x 5.1
cm
17
737.5 Bucky Emerald, Adams
mine, 1971, Bucky
18 722.7 Philbeck Emerald, NAEM mine, 1974, 12 cm, (Bolick),
GMNM
19
591 Hill
Twin, NAEM mine, 2006, 25.4 cm, NAEM
20 467 Ormond Twin, NAEM mine, 1969, 1.4 x 8.9
cm, NSCG
|
Table 1. North America’s 20 Largest Emeralds came from North
Carolina. Each entry includes rank, size in carats,
name of specimen, the mine where found, the year of discovery, the dimensions
(if known), interim owners (if known), and the current location of the specimen
(if known). Specimen No. 4, the 1,492
carat (also reported as 1,676 carats) Lineberger Emerald reportedly found at
the Crabtree Mine, Mitchell Co., NC in 1979 remains doubtful as little to no collaborating
information can be found and the current location of the specimen is unknown.
Original discoverers are indicated
by the specimen names while interim owners are given in parenthesis.
Discoverers and interim
owners include: ‘Jamie’ James K. Hill, Jr., Hiddenite, NC; ‘Red’ Robert N. Reitzel,
Newton, NC; John Williams, Newton,
NC; Jack Harwell, Newton,
NC; Audrey Hester Lineberger, Durham, NC; ‘Butch’ Michael Finger,
Lincolnton, NC; John Adlai Stephenson (1825-1897); William Earl Hidden
(1853-1918); William Diehl Baltzley; Glenn and Kathleen Bolick, Hickory, NC; Kenneth and Patricia Arnold, Newton,
NC; Eileen Lackey Sharpe (1909-2004); Hill-Duncan--Lynn Sharpe Hill,
Blowing Rock, NC and Shirley Sharpe Duncan, High Point, NC; Hugh MacRae Morton
(1921-2006); F. John Barlow (1914-2004); Cary Wright (1836-1908); David P. Wilber,
Tucson, AZ; Dr. Funk, Baltimore,
MD; Lewis Ormond; and AGI, American Gems, Inc.
If known, the current
location of the above specimens is given by the following abbreviations: AMNH,
American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY; HMNS, Houston Museum of
Natural Science, Houston, Texas; GMNM, Grandfather Mountain Nature Museum,
Linville, NC; LKA, LKA International, Inc, Gig Harbor, Washington; NAEM, North
American Emerald Mines, Inc., Hiddenite, NC; NCMNS, North Carolina Museum of
Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC; SI, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; NSCG,
Natural Science Center of Greensboro, Greensboro, NC; and SEEC, Southeastern
Emerald Consortium.
Data compiled by
W.E. Speer from published and unpublished sources as well as personal interviews.
No comments:
Post a Comment