The Gleim Carved Emerald

Gleim the Jeweler is proud owner of the world’s largest carved emerald, listed as such in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1982. The emerald, discovered at Carnaiba, in the emerald-producing province of Bahia, Brazil, in August, 1974, made its way to Palo Alto via a local gem trader with whom we had worked and partnered for many years. He took it to Hong Kong for carving, where a team of four carvers was commissioned to sculpt the design of Tao Heaven. The style is that of the large jade carvings done in eighteenth century China, during the mid-Ch’ing period, with oversize human figures and animals, as well as houses, temples, and waterfalls cascading down the height of the emerald.

The original weight of the emerald was 62 pounds, or over 140,000 carats. Its dimensions then were approximately 16 1/2" high, 14" wide, and 7" deep. The overall dimensions did not change much with the carving, but the final weight after carving is 86,000 carats, or 38 pounds. The excess material ended up as dust on the studio floor, as it was ground away as the artists carved into the body of the emerald to define the figures and structures they envisioned. There are more than 30 human figures scattered along the various levels of the carving; each time you look, you notice more detail.

The material, although not gem-quality emerald, makes a spectacular carving, and is always on display at our store on University Avenue in downtown Palo Alto.