Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels auction, scheduled for December 7 in New York, will offer an emerald salvaged from a 400-year-old shipwreck, with all proceeds to go to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, IDEX Online reports.
The 6.25 carat, octagonal step-cut emerald ring is estimated at $50,000 to $70,000, and is being sold by author and philanthropist Mitzi Perdue, who got it as an engagement gift from her late husband, Frank Perdue, in 1998.
The emerald was lost for 363 years after the galleon Nuestra Senora de Atocha sank during the hurricane season in the Florida Keys. The wreck was discovered in 1985, and proved to be a treasure trove. Divers found 70 pounds of Colombian emeralds, 180,000 silver coins, 24 tons of Bolivian silver, 125 gold bars and a collection of Venezuelan pearls.
