The Bahia Emerald
More than a decade after the discovery of the world’s largest emerald, our firm has been involved in the high profile legal battle for ownership of the rare Bahia Emerald. In 2001, Renata Joias e Embalagens Ltda. discovered the Bahia Emerald in Brazil and registered it with the Brazilian Government.
On August 31, 2004, an Assignment & Bill of Sale was made from Renata Joias e Embalagens Ltda. to Gemworks Mining, Inc. (Panama). Three years later on August 2007, there was an assignment of the Bahia Emerald from Gemworks Mining, Inc. (Panama) to B & B Services, Inc. In 2008, Respondents Kit Morrison, Todd Armstrong, Jerry Ferrara and their companies Market Link, Inc. and FM Holdings, Inc. paid 7-figures to obtain valid legal title to the Bahia Emerald. Then the emerald was confiscated and a dispute ensued.
Considering it potentially stolen property, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department seized the massive gemstone in 2008. The emerald will remain in custody until the case is resolved. Weighing 840-pounds and worth an estimated $372 million, the gemstone is considered to be the world’s largest and heaviest emerald.
In the National Geographic Special “The 400 Million Dollar Emerald,” researchers and experts follow the Bahia Emerald from the mines of Brazil’s Bahia Region. Considered a renowned lawsuit in California history, this case has gained an international following.
National Geographic Special
