The 88 Carat emerald that, when cut, produced The Carolina Queen and the Carolina Prince.

Hiddenite has been know since the last century for its emeralds and other precious stones. The town itself is named after the gemstone Hiddenite, which got its name from its discoverer, William Earl Hidden.

Hidden was an astute mineralogist who came to the region in 1879 on a mission for Thomas Edison to find platinum. Edison was using platinum for the filament in his then experimental light bulb. In 1881 Hidden discovered a green crystal variety of the mineral spodumene. This was classed as a gemstone and named in his honor.

Hidden and some partners also mined for emeralds from 1881 to 1885. Before abandoning their work because of legal disputes over the property, they located several minor pockets containing quite a few valuable emeralds.

In May of 1971 an emerald was dug up by Wayne Anthony that would put Hiddenite on the map. The stone Anthony found was cut into a beautiful Gem Quality emerald.

On May 15th, Tiffany & Company, the famed New York jewelry firm, bought the stone and set its value at $100,000 — although one firm officially termed it "priceless," since there are none other like it. This remained true until the 1998 discovery of 3,300 carats of emeralds mined by Jamie Hill. Rick Gregory,President, of R.Gregory Jewelers, put a group of 12 investors, including himself, together. They purchased the rough, hired a renowned cutter from New York, Allan Koo, to cut the stone which yielded the Carolina Queen and Carolina Prince. Hill's find — purchased and cut by Gregory and his investors — produced the "Royal Family" of emeralds.

The Carolina Queen — part of that find — surpassed the "Tiffany Emerald" in weight and quality. This stone is now worth over $1,000,000!

We have a large selection of pieces with prices starting as low as $200. Please visit our store to see this exclusive collection of emeralds!