From The Jewellery Editor
"With a history as intriguing as its owner, the incredible Marcial de Gomar collection of Colombian emeralds goes under the hammer on Tuesday.
Marcial de Gomar Collection emeralds for auction
Browsing the lots in the upcoming auction of the Marcial de Gomar Collection is a lesson in history and gemology, rolled into one. Taking place on Tuesday 25 April at Guernsey’s in New York, an auction house that deals only with the extraordinary – from Elvis’ belongings to pre-Castro Cuban cigars – the vast collection of emeralds, amassed by one man over a lifetime, is almost impossible to classify it contains so many unique gems, including the huge, the historic, one-of-a-kind rarities and, most fascinating of all, deep-sea treasures recovered from a Spanish shipwreck.
The owner, Manuel Marcial de Gomar, one of the world’s foremost experts in Colombian emeralds, fell victim to “Green Fever” at an early age. He acquired his knowledge first hand by hunting out emerald deposits deep in the Colombian mountains before becoming an emerald wholesaler, gem consultant, jeweller, appraiser, conch pearl aficionado and, pertinently, specialist in Spanish shipwrecks.
The Marcial de Gomar Collection, comprised of 39 lots, touches upon each of Marcial de Gomar’s achievements, with several Caribbean conch pearls, original designs by Marcial de Gomar and gold and silver coins included in the sale. It is the wide variety of emeralds, mined in the Muzo region of Colombia, 60 miles north-west of Bogotá, that are the stars of this auction though.
Muzo emeralds are unrivalled in their silky, rich green colour and vibrant fire. Just like pigeon blood rubies from Burma and Golconda diamonds from India, emeralds from the Muzo mines are considered the best in the world, which makes this collection of Colombian emeralds so extraordinary. A mix of more recently mined emeralds and gems that lay undiscovered on a seabed in Florida for nearly 3,000 years, two thirds of the auction is devoted to Muzo emeralds – rough, cut and set into jewels. Here are my favourite lots."
Corona de Muzo emerald – estimate $5-6 million
21 April 2017 by CLAIRE ROBERTS read entire article....