sixteenth century found their way to the royal courts of 

 Europe. A very fine example of such is the Smith- 

 sonian's "Spanish Inquisition Necklace," a 300-year- 

 old piece consisting of 15 major emeralds and more 

 than 360 diamonds. The emeralds are in the form of 



During the sixteenth and into the seventeenth and 

 even eighteenth centuries, many of the finest Col- 

 ombian emeralds were used in major pieces of religious 

 art, in Colombia as well as in Spain. Perhaps the most 

 spectacular of these is the Custodia de San Ignacio, 



The 300-year-old 

 "Spanish Inquisition " 

 necklace contains 15 

 emerald beads and 

 more than 360 

 diamonds. Smiths- 

 onian collection. 



cylindrical and hexagonal beads not unlike those found 

 in pre-Colombian artifacts, and it is quite possible that 

 these emeralds were taken from the Indians who had 

 used them in jewelry for their own royalty. The neck- 

 lace's centerpiece is a 24 x 15 mm emerald bead of the 

 finest quality, flanked by 14 fine, but smaller emeralds. 

 The style of drilling in the 15 stones is like that of pre- 

 Colombian Indian craftsmen. 



which is today in the care of Bogota Jesuits. This 19- 

 inch-high monstrance is nicknamed La Lechuga ("let- 

 tuce"), because the approximately 1,480 uniformly fine 

 emeralds give the piece a green appearance. The most 

 important single stone in La Lechuga is a cabochon (a 

 polished but unfaceted stone) of some 50 ct, so 

 mounted that it may be viewed from either side, form- 

 ing a beautiful green window. 



