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Famous Jewelry: Mackay Emerald Necklace

Mackay Emerald Necklace

The Mackay emerald is a 167.97 carat (2" diameter), oval-cut cabochon Muzo emerald from the Cinturon Esmeraldífero ("Emerald Belt") of the Andes Mountains, in the Gobernación de Boyacá region of Cordillera Occidental, Colombia.

The art deco Mackay necklace was designed by Cartier. and sold in 1931 to Clarence H. Mackay, as a gift to his wife Anna Case, a lyric Soprano with the Metropolitan Opera. Clarence H. Mackay was an American financier who inherited a $500 million estate from his father John W. Mackay, in 1902.

The 167 carat emerald was set square-shaped pendant with a platinum framework, surrounded by baguette-cut diamonds. The Mackay emerald necklace is now located at the Smithsonian Institution's American Museum of Natural History in Washington DC.

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