14 DAY TRIAL // The world's largest aquamarine gem, Dom Pedro, joined the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History today, for a long-term exhibition.
Smithsonian's officials are expecting an increase in the number of museum visitors with the 10,363-carat gem displayed next to the Hope Diamond and Marie Antoinette's earrings.
Dom Pedro Aquamarine is a blue-green obelisk-shaped crystal of almost 5 pounds, found in Brazil 1980s. Its natural shape was subsequently modified in Germany by gem cutter Bernd Munstein, who gave it its current 14-inch (3.55-centimeter) tall obelisk aspect.
“The Dom Pedro Aquamarine represents a combination of an extraordinary crystal of rare clarity and rich color with the unique skills of a celebrated artist,” said Jeffrey Post, a National Gem Collection curator, as cited by Lalate News.
The gem was donated to the Smithsonian's in 2011 by its former owners Jane Mitchell and Jeffery Bland, and its estimated value reaches up to $10 (€7.65) million, according to the price it was offered to the Smithsonian's for two decades ago.