Emerald ex. Colonel J. Neeld (circa 1800s)

Item Description

This antique emerald crystal was once in the collection of Colonel Joseph Neeld, 1789-1856. He was a Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom and a Colonel in the Royal army. This collection, long forgotten and lost track of, resurfaced in England in the early 1980s ; and much of the better pieces were bought by mineral dealer Herb Obodda. This piece he kept in his personal collection as a souvenir. It has good evergreen color and is, at the end of the day, a sharp and very pretty emerald even without the neat pedigree. It has some gemminess to it, and is translucent to transparent in parts. The carat weight is 20.8 carats. This piece is, therefore, as you can see from the depth of color and the windows within, ideally suited to cut one or two very nice cabochon emeralds (and such cabs are in vogue these days). So while not facet quality rough, this is certianly cabbing quality, and the yield should be well in excess of the reserve bid here. I had an offer from a cutter, but its a shame to cut any crystal like this, so we'll give the auction a go first for any collectors. And if not sold...off to the butcher!