ANTIQUE ROMAN EMERALD Pendant set with a rectangular antique emerald weighing approx. 1.70 ct. with a bevelled table that has withstood heavy wear making the edges rounded. The pavilion is rectangular but respects the shape of the rough marked in the centre by a concave part. Heavy wear on the breech line which also makes it rounded. Transparent to translucent emerald with a very beautiful green colour, sometimes slightly blue. The setting is in near 21.6k yellow gold (900 thousandths - very slow dissipating 21.6 acid test). Modern Italian 18k (750 thousandths) yellow gold chain. Roman art circa 1st century AD. From the private collection of Mr CMF (collection of glyptics and antique jewellery built up between 1970 and 1990). Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo (HVMC) sale, 7 February 2023, lot 38. Phidias sale, 4 June 2024, lot 211. Dimensions of the emerald: approx. 9.05 x 6.27 x 4.46 mm. Length of the modern chain: 39 cm. Size of the pendant, including setting: 1.1 x 0.6 cm. Gross weight: 2.6 g. The emeralds used in Roman jewellery came mainly from Egypt. Controversy over the historical period of Egyptian emerald mining still rages today. What is certain is that the quality of emeralds is average by today's standards because they are so included, but their bright colour and active mining during Egypt's late Greco-Roman period made them extremely valuable at the time. Production took place in mines that are now well documented, between Luxor and Aswan, close to the Red Sea, such as Wadi Gemal and Gebel Zabara. New scientific research is currently underway and will soon result in some excellent publications. It will then be time to (perhaps) put an end to the academic 'disputatio' on the subject of their exploitation. Emerald is not a stone that was frequently used in ancient times, and it remains rare and small in size. The one shown here has the great advantage of being larger than one carat.