A U.S. judge has ordered the return of the massive 836-pound “cursed” emerald, valued at an estimated $1 billion, to its home country of Brazil.
The emerald has long been regarded as cursed due to the misfortune and even death that befell those involved in its journey across the Americas. However, this tumultuous chapter appears to have concluded with a ruling by United States District Judge Reggie B. Walton.
The cursed emerald was removed from its native Brazil over 20 years ago. It is known for being the world’s largest emerald.
“We’re very happy with the decision,” federal prosecutor Boni de Moraes Soares said in speaking to The Washington Post. “We’re closer than ever to bringing the Bahia emerald back to the Brazilian people.”
Kit Morrison, the Idaho trader who claimed ownership of the emerald, said in speaking to The Post that he accepted the ruling and that this was just a part of being an investor.
“I don’t have any feeling of defeat or loss,” said Morrison. “When you are an investor and entrepreneur, you do everything you can to protect, preserve, and improve the investment and opportunity. However, you cannot control the things that are out of your control.”
The emerald was sitting in the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department for over 15 years.
🇺🇸🇧🇷CURSED $1-BILLION EMERALD TO HAUNT BRAZIL AGAIN
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) November 23, 2024
The 836-pound Bahia Emerald, rumored to be CURSED, is heading back to Brazil after a U.S. court ruled it’s time to say, “Not our problem!”
Smuggled out in 2001 (with a mule allegedly mauled by a panther), it survived Hurricane… pic.twitter.com/MbZQ4pJ8fz
The emerald’s cursed journey
The humongous emerald started its journey by being smuggled out of its native country of Brazil. The gemstone was carried through the Amazon rainforest by a team of mules until they were attacked by a panther. Brazil’s legal claim is tied to this, as they say it points to two criminal convictions for two Brazilian gem prospectors who falsified documents to claim the emerald in 2001.
After its trip through the forest, the cursed emerald made it to U.S. soil, where it was heavily sought after. Hurricane Katrina hit the warehouse where it was stored at one point. To complicate things further, the gem was stolen from a facility in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, one of the only real investors for the gemstone was Kit Morrison, who put down $1.3 million for a stake in the eventual sale of the emerald.
Eventually, the cursed emerald was seized in Las Vegas, and the Brazilian government caught wind. They issued a forfeiture order to the United States, claiming that the cursed gemstone was a national treasure.
Gem prospectors like Morrison tried to buy time in the hopes of keeping the emerald, but Judge Walton said that their time was up. In 2015, a California Court ruled in favor of Morrison and the consortium of gem prospectors that had a vested interest in the gemstone. However, the U.S. Department of Justice initiated a federal case by ordering a seizure.
“The Court has concluded that the Intervenors’ positions are insufficient to prohibit the return of the Emerald to Brazil,” Judge Walton wrote. “The Court must therefore enforce the Brazilian Forfeiture Judgment of the Bahia Emerald.”
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