One of the most outstanding recovered treasures from the Atocha was an Emerald Studded Cross and Ring, kept inside a silver box. This incredible treasure is now on exhibit at Mel Fisher’s Maritime Heritage Museum in Florida.
As mentioned in a previous MW article, the Atocha was the rear guard of the Tierra Firme fleet which sank off the coast of Florida on September 6th, 1622. The fleet was on voyage back to Spain to give riches from the New World. Because the ship was heavily armed, and thought to be one of the safest vessels against possible pirate attacks, it was carrying the most valuable load of silver, gold, jewels, and other treasure.
The Atocha’s armored crew and multiple cannons on board may have made it secure from pirates, but these couldn’t protect it from one of the fiercest attacks of all. The fleet encountered a powerful hurricane soon after leaving port in Havana. The Atocha, along with another ship named the Santa Margarita and a few others, caught the worst of the whirling wind, and lost the battle.
In 1985, Mel Fisher found the wreck of the Atocha off the coast. It’s riches are still being brought back to the surface. The Atocha Cross, ring, and box are only one of the many incredible artifacts that have been recovered to date.
Diver, Frederick Ingerson, had discovered the small box, and in the book, Treasure of the Atocha by R. Duncan Mathewson III, it is mentioned while most items found wait to be inspected back at the lab, his curiosity got the best of him, and he opened the silver box as soon as he was back on board the ship.
To his, and the entire crew’s, surprise, what was in the small box was the beautiful crucifix and ring!
This religious set each featured emeralds from the Muzo District in Columbia, South America. The large emerald at the base of the cross was realized to be 65 carat! Above were 6 other high quality emeralds of various sizes and shapes. The backside of the 18 carat gold cross was engraved with an image of the Madonna and Christ Child, a Saint, and decorative flora. The craftsmanship is stunning.
What other wonders might still be yet to find? Amazing!