Museum-Quality, Family-Owned Collection of Emeralds At Auction This Spring

Guernsey’s, the New York City-based auction house, is delighted to announce the auction of the Marcial de Gomar Collection of rare emeralds on April 25th. The event will be conducted live at the Americas Society at 680 Park Avenue with online bidding at liveauctioneers.com.

The Marcial de Gomar Emerald Collection consists of more than twenty loose emeralds (both cut and rough) plus thirteen pieces of emerald jewelry, and a selection of rare gold and silver coins. The spectacular emeralds in this collection were collected by Manuel Marcial de Gomar over a long career spent both in the United States and in the jungles of Colombia, where for years he worked in the legendary Muzo mines, widely known for producing the world's finest emeralds. Mr. Marcial's knowledge of rare emeralds has placed him in demand as an author, lecturer and consultant, and while his family continues in their involvement with these gems, it is Manuel's lifelong personal collection that is being sold.

Featured lots in the Marcial de Gomar Collection include La Gloria, which, at 887 carats, is one of the largest museum-quality emeralds in the world; the Marcial de Gomar Star, the largest recorded star emerald (among only eleven in the world, according to experts) and perhaps the first of its kind as a double-sided star emerald; and the Tears of Fura, an impressive matched pair of extremely large teardrop-shaped Muzo emeralds. Importantly, the Collection also includes the largest assemblage of cut emeralds from the famed Nuestra Señora de Atocha sunken galleon and, among these, the single largest cut emerald recovered from that ship, considered the most important wreck site yet discovered.

Decades ago, Mr. Marcial was selected from many experts by Mel Fisher, the famed treasure hunter, to be the independent appraiser of all emeralds recovered from the Atocha. As payment for his expert services, Marcial received a selection of these fine stones from the world-famous wreck. Collectors and enthusiasts of sunken treasure will also be excited to learn that the Collection features, in addition to this unprecedented assemblage of Atocha emeralds, a number of historic gold coins from the 1715 Fleet. All of these items were privately owned and will be presented to the public for the very first time at the auction of the Marcial de Gomar Collection.

For more information about this unmatched collection of Colombian emeralds, please contact Guernsey’s at 212-794-2280.