An emerald from a sunken ship was sold to Ukraine for $1.2 million

A ring with an emerald, which was found on a sunken Spanish ship, was sold for $1.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction. All proceeds will go to humanitarian aid in Ukraine.

The Spanish royal ship Nuestra Señora de Atocha sank in a storm off the coast of Florida on September 6, 1622. There were more than 250 people on the ship, as well as a solid amount of treasures from the countries of South America, including 30 kg of Colombian emeralds.

The cargo remained at the bottom of the ocean for several centuries, despite efforts to find the ship.

In 1985, “Atocha” was found by American treasure hunter Mel Fisher. Initially, Florida authorities claimed the found treasures, but in the end the US Supreme Court granted the searchers all rights to the jewels. The total value of the cargo found is more than $1 billion.

One of the sponsors of the expedition, businessman Frank Perdue, kept one of the emeralds for himself in memory of the found treasures, and decorated the engagement ring with it, which he gave to his future wife, Mitza.

Now the owner of the ring, Mitzi Perdue, is an 81-year-old widow, writer and heir to the Sheraton hotel chain. This summer, she visited Ukraine, where she was struck by the terrible consequences of the Russian war.

Perdue decided to auction off the emerald ring, and to direct the proceeds to humanitarian needs in Ukraine. An emerald weighing 6.25 carats was sold on December 7. The estimated value of the jewel was $70,000, but during the auction, an anonymous buyer bought it for $1.2 million, Forbes reports.