Last updated on May 11, 2022
The Hooker Emerald is one of the most spectacular emeralds, with exceptional colour and clarity for its size. The historic gem was once a part of the crown jewels of the Ottoman Empire and mounted into a Sultan’s belt buckle.
The Hooker Emerald and Abdul Hamid II
The history of the Hooker Emerald traces back to 16th or 17th century Colombia where it was discovered in an undefined mine.
The rough emerald was probably sent to Europe by Spanish conquistadors to be cut and polished. Then the 75.47-carat beveiled square-cut gem with bluish-green colour and exceptional clarity was sold to Abdul Hamid II, the last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1876 – 1909). During his reign, the gem was made a part of the crown jewels of the Empire, and according to the legend, Sultan Abdul Hamid II wore the Hooker Emerald mounted into his belt buckle.
In 1908, many of the Ottoman Empire’s crown jewels, including the Hooker Emerald, were smuggled to Paris by the trusted agents of the Sultan. Abdul Hamid II feared a potential coup by the Young Turks, a political reform movement that favoured the replacement of the Ottoman Empire’s absolute monarchy with a constitutional government. The Sultan believed that the proceeds from the sale of the crown jewels would allow him to have a comfortable life in case of a revolution. The jewels were sold to a gem dealer Salomon (Selim?) Habib. However, the proceeds from the sale were seized by the succeeding government following the Young Turk Revolution.
The Hooker Emerald and Janet Annenberg Hooker
In 1911, Habib auctioned his jewellery collection to cover his debts. The Hooker Emerald was purchased by Tiffany & Co., which initially set the gem into a tiara, featured in the New York World’s Fair “House of Jewels” exhibition in 1940. The tiara remained unsold for nearly 40 years.
In 1950, the emerald was removed from its initial setting and mounted into its current brooch setting, featured on the first page of the Tiffany Christmas catalogue. The brooch includes the Hooker Emerald itself, weighing 75.47 carats (15.094 g), surrounded by 109 round brilliant and 20 baguette cut diamonds, totalling approximately 13 carats in an open-ended platinum setting.
In 1955, the brooch was purchased by Janet Annenberg Hooker, who was a renowned philanthropist and a publishing empire heiress. The purchase price of the emerald and diamond brooch was not disclosed.
In 1977, Janet A. Hooker donated the brooch to the Smithsonian Institution. The value of the jewel at the time of its donation was $500,000. This was her first gift to the National Museum of Natural History and marked the beginning of long-lasting support for the Smithsonian.
Later Hooker donated $5 million to the museum for the construction of a new gallery for the display of gems and minerals, which was named the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals in her honour. The hall was officially opened in September 1997, three months before Hooker Passed away at the age of 93.
In 1991 the Hooker Emerald brooch was displayed at the annual Tuscan Gem & Mineral Show, where the main highlight was the rare mineral specimens from different parts of the world. In September 2006, the emerald, together with other world’s finest gemstones and jewellery, was on display at the museum of the Gemological Institute of America at the exhibition titled “Celebrating Excellence in Gems and Jewelry”.
Since 2010, the Hooker Emerald brooch is on display in the Gem Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. The current value of the brooch is estimated at $5,000,000.
Featured image: Chip Clark, digitally enhanced by SquareMoose, Smithsonian Institution
