I'm holding $1 MILLION DOLLARS USD in the palm of my hand...the Legendary Stotesbury Emerald!

Salutations Steemit Friends! 

Springtime in New York City is undoubtedly my favorite time of year and the fresh greenness of May is its jewel.  Early May is when the fragrant and delicate drops of Lily of the Valley bloom in Central Park (if you know where to find them).  It's also the birthstone month of one of the most prized, rare and (in my humble opinion) mesmerizing gemstones, the precious emerald.

Speaking of precious and rare, a few weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of louping the "legendary" Stotesbury Emerald at Sotheby's New York for the then, upcoming "Magnificent Jewels" sale.  All 34.4 carats of breathtaking Colombian green set in a platinum and diamond Harry Winston mounting in the palm of my hand! Truly, once in a lifetime!

Photo credit @alexpmorris

Sotheby's describes the unique hexagon cut emerald "magnificent" and "legendary" not only because of its superb gem quality, but also because of its exceptional more than one-hundred years of history.  The stone's provenance includes three renowned American jewelry collectors; Evalyn Walsh McLean, Eva Stotesbury and May Bonfils Stanton as well as two famed jewelers, Pierre Cartier and Harry Winston.  

Image courtesy Pinterest

Image courtesy of Sotheby's

From Sotheby's catalogue, "Enclosed in this unique stone, however, is a history that includes two celebrated design houses and three incomparable women who shared an impeccable eye for renowned jewels and gemstones. Each leading lady changed it meet her specific taste, in concert with the most famed jewelers of all time."  

The Stotesbury Emerald sold for $996,500 USD on April 25th, 2017 at Sotheby's New York.  Also at the New York viewing was the Apollo and Artemis Diamonds’ (one pink and one blue) which recently sold for $57,425,478 USD at Sotheby's Geneva becoming the most valuable pair of earrings ever sold at auction.

And to think, I had roughly a million dollars in my hand one Sunday afternoon. Too bad I don't have that in my pockets! What can I say, this girl can always dream of that kind of gorgeous, gemmy green. Until next time...

Cheers!

Michelle