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GeneralEmeralds from Florida?

24th Apr 2014 15:59 UTCJasun D. McAvoy Expert

A friend recently asked me what I thought about a mineral specimen he recently purchased at an auction held in California. The specimen in question was an emerald in matrix that supposedly came from St. Augustine, Florida (there were actually two such specimens available). The specimens were supposedly found at the "St. Augustine Mission Excavation Site". Now, just to be the "devil's advocate", while I don't think its likely that they were native, I am aware that emeralds were found when Mel Fisher discovered the Atocha shipwreck (I have actually seen a number of them on display and they are of mind-blowing quality). Those Atocha emeralds were all of extraordinary gem quality, and there were even a few in matrix (although most were loose crystals).

The specimens in question however are not of exceptional quality. From the pictures they look like Colombian emeralds to me (and ones that I have seen faked at that). I have not been able to locate any corroborating evidence or literature about emeralds coming from a "mission site" in St. Augustine.

I'd be curious to get some thoughts on this.

Here is a link to the recently held auction where they were purchased

http://images.goldbergauctions.com/php/chap_auc.php?site=1&lang=1&sale=79&chapter=48&page=1

24th Apr 2014 16:33 UTCDonald Peck

Jason, I just Googled a geologic map of Florida. There are preCambrian metamorphic basement rocks in the Florida Platform, and there are some Triassic and Jurassic volcanics. But somehow I kind of doubt that those emeralds came from Florida.

24th Apr 2014 16:51 UTCDavid Von Bargen Manager

"Found on private property in St. Augustine, Florida." - With this type of description, they could have been found in a safe in a house. Not likely to be local, most probably Columbian that were brought in to the area.

24th Apr 2014 19:40 UTCBecky Coulson 🌟 Expert

Hi Jasun, I grew up in Florida - great for fossils and calcite, but not for gem stones. There are no emeralds in Florida (except imports, of course). Any minerals there would have to be found in marine dolomite/limestone (aggregate quality), or phosphate bed environments, or as a component of sand. The basement rocks are not exposed, there are no pegmatites, and those rocks (sedimentary) at the surface do not have hydrothermal veins. I was astounded by the prices paid for those samples!

24th Apr 2014 20:42 UTCHarold Moritz 🌟 Expert

These are Colombian emeralds - the localities' matrix is black shale with brecciated veins containing calcite, pyrite and emerald and that's what these specimens consist of. Nicely terminated crystals. They were obviously imported, by who or when hard to say, but if it was the Spaniards centuries ago, I doubt they would have preserved them as undamaged matrix specimens! Such pieces are a relatively modern phenomenon, I would think the Spaniards were interested in gems, not specimens, so these were just probably in some one's collection and the provenance is just for sales purposes....

29th Apr 2014 14:24 UTCturtledove thrushe

I agree the matrix suggests they are likely Colombian emeralds imported into the US. While there is Emeralds in the US from what i can recall none of them match this kind of matrix and appearence as Colombian emeralds. I believe the closest Emerald locality is in North Carolina for Emeralds and they have a different appearance and are placer Emeralds?

30th Apr 2014 02:25 UTCAnonymous User

I'm in St. Augustine. No chance of natural occurrence of emerald or anything similar here. Here around FL, there are many stories of emeralds from Spanish ships, the most famous being the Atocha. I have one that is supposed to be from that find. The story was that divers working on the wreck snagged little emeralds, and they ended up getting used as tips for waitresses etc. I can't verify the provenance of mine, but it is a great quality tiny little Colombian crystal.

There is another story about large container of emeralds found in a wreck (don't know which one). They were all low quality, and were apparently chosen by the captain who thought that size was the only important factor. With all the grabbing and stashing that likely went on in those days in the New World, it is not impossible that some matrix specimens got shipped as well.

However, I have heard nothing in the local news etc. about a find of Spanish emeralds around here. Personally, I would doubt any claims unless they were found in a genuine dig by a verifiable source - like Dana St. Claire, the City's archaeologist, etc. Any piece found in a standing building - no matter how old the structure - is more likely to be of modern origin.

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