Introduction

 

The Isabella Emerald,

Cortes Treasure

 

On April 5, 1993 the Associated Press announced that the treasure explorer Victor Benilous, President of Archaeological Discovery Ventures INC., had recovered the legendary “Isabella Emerald ©” the prized possession of the Conquistador Hernan Cortes, Conqueror of Mexico.

It had been recovered with the help of the decedents of Hernan Cortes who held and guarded the secret of the possible location of a treasure lost on a private merchant Ship wrecked in the International waters of the Caribbean on its way back to Spain. 

 

 

 

The 964 ct. GIA certified Isabella Emerald is the world’s largest gem crystal emerald.  Originally known as the Emerald of Judgment, It was taken from Montezuma the Great Aztec Emperor by Cortes and was renamed The Isabella Emerald in Honor of Queen Isabella Of Portugal the wife of Charles V.  

The initial recovery included over 100,000 carats of cut and polished emeralds, over a million carats of uncut emeralds, including the world’s largest emerald conglomerate weighting an incredible 25,644 carats. The recovered treasure consists of hundreds of unique pieces of gold and priceless emerald jewelry as well as jade and gold masks, golden idols, sacrificial knives and instruments, gold and silver bars, 8 very rare Mayan ceremonial crystal skulls, and a signet ring that belonged to Cortes.  There is an Aztec Codex legend, that predicts that the secrets of the Universe shall be revealed when all 12 Crystal Skulls are united with the Emerald of Judgment.


Media Coverage

 

USA Today

Featured the discovery on its front page.

 

 

 

 

                        

 


Time Magazine

Featured it on its front cover (International Issue)

 

 

 

 

 

Treasure Diver Magazine

Declared it the “Greatest Treasure ever found”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Island Magazine

Celebrated by featuring a hard cover collectors’ issue

 

 

 

 

 

 


Sources Magazine

The authority in Under Water Journal also called it the “Greatest Treasure ever found”

 

 

 

 

 

The Compass magazine

Dedicated 4 full color pages on the discovery.

 

 

 

 

 

Oceanorama Magazine

For the Oceanographic Institutes, based in France, reported the discovery of the “Biggest emerald ever found”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gallimard

One of the world’s most recognized publishers had the Isabella Emerald featured in the book "Diamonds & Precious Stones" as one of the world's most famous emeralds, along side stones like the Hope Diamond and the British Crown Jewels.

 

 

Virtually every major newspaper throughout the United States and Canada featured the story, including local papers in Geneva, Germany, Spain, Korea, Japan, Puerto Rico, Cuba and virtually all of the South American Countries carried the story of the discovery. 

 

TV interviews were featured on NBC, CBS, ABC, and CNN nationally and internationally, including live talk shows via satellite, in Australia and New Zealand,

 

Interviews by the Paris paper "Le Dimanche" and the London Times generated a request from the Queen Mother to view the “Isabella Emerald Treasure Collection”. 

 

 

 

 

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A.D. Ventures Inc.

1603 South Dixie Hwy.
W.Palm Beach, FL 33401
www.adventures-inc.com

Tel: (561) 833-8611
Fax: (561) 828-7698
www.emeraldtreasure.com

 



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