Famous precious gems usually have a history of intrigue, and the Bahia Emerald is no exception. The gems are actually embedded in a 4 foot by 4 foot by 4 foot granite cube. It weighs 840 pounds with emerald crystals encrusted within the granite. While uncut, and not likely to be cut for jewelry, the emerald, as a work of art or curiosity, has led a mad caper across country and state lines since it was first discovered in Brazil in 2001.

The only thing that is certain about the history of the Bahia Emerald is that it was originally sold by a Brazilian gem trader to someone who never collected the emerald. At this point no one knows why it never made its way to the new owner, and what happened to it until it suddenly reappeared in the Los Angeles County Sheriff department, where multiple people are laying claim to the stone.

The object’s worth is estimated at $400 million, and with no record of ownership, there are multiple parties in making a claim to the stone. The Smithsonian and the Getty are interested in retaining ownership of the emerald, and even the original buyer who claims to have bought it from the Brazilian gem dealer for $60,000 has reappeared to lay his claim. Mr. Anthony Thomas claims the object was reported as stolen on its way to him. Another man, Mr. Ken Conetto, however, also claims to be a buyer of large emerald stone, that he says he bought from Brazilians too.

Eventually, what is known about the stone is that it ended up in a warehouse in New Orleans, as Hurricane Katrina flooded the area. It was moved from Idaho to Las Vegas, at one point, by a man named Todd Armstrong who obtained it as collateral for a shipment of diamonds, which he failed to receive but did pay for. It was at that point that the Las Vegas sheriff’s department became involved as he tried to sell the item, without proof of ownership. Now, it continues to be in custody at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department as the intrigue and intricacies of this case are sorted out by the appropriate legal channels.