Dom Pedro Aquamarine

An immense beryl crystal found in the late 1980s yielded the Dom Pedro—the largest known aquamarine gem. The original crystal was almost two feet in length and weighed nearly 60 lbs. In 1992-1993, gem artist Bernd Munsteiner fashioned the gem and named it after the first two emperors of Brazil. A pattern of tapering “negative cuts” is faceted into the two reverse faces of the obelisk. These facets reflect the light, making it appear to glow from within. The vertical “lines” near the base are hollow tubes that formed naturally in the original crystal. Gift of Jane Mitchell and Jeffrey Bland, 2011.