Have you ever heard of such a thing as a giant, cursed emerald? This 180,000 emerald, known as the Bahia Emerald, was discovered in Brazil in the state of Bahia in 2001. It weighs in at over 840 pounds, and has a strangely striking resemblance to kryptonite.
The emerald was discovered in a very poor, remote region of Brazil, and perhaps for this reason, its ownership has been much disputed throughout its lifetime above the surface of the earth. Currently, it is embroiled in a highly publicized lawsuit in Los Angeles, California, where it was finally apprehended by two detectives who responded to an allegation that the emerald was involved in illegal trading.
Since its discovery, the emerald has collected many layers of folklore. Dozens of conmen throughout Brazil and the United States have been involved in buying, selling, trading, and stealing this emerald from one another for over ten years. Some say the emerald was even sunk in a storage unit during Hurricane Katrina, stolen out of a secure vault in California, sold on EBay, and its cart attacked by black panthers in the jungles of Brazil.
The lawsuit that’s currently taking place in Los Angeles aims to determine the true ownership of the emerald, and the Brazilian government is hoping the case will close in their favor. With its enormous carat weight and surrounding folklore, they believe it is a national treasure that should have never been allowed to leave their country’s borders. If Brazil’s lawyer succeeds and wins this case, the emerald will travel back to its home country and be placed on display for all to admire at the National Museum of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.