History sometimes makes inextricable links between places and gemstones, as India shows. Although the Spanish controlled the great emerald mines of Colombia throughout the apogee of their production from the 16th to the 18th century, most of the output was exported to India to be used for jewels commissioned by the Royal families.

When these stones appeared in western markets in the early 20th century, they became known as Old Indian Material. The "Indian" character of the emeralds drops offered for sale is accentuated by their cut, which imitates stones found in Antique jewellery from the subcontinent, and also their rich colour and the near perfect clarity on the smaller gem. A larger pair of similar emeralds were sold for $640.000 in the Thurn und Taxis Collection in Geneva on 17 November 1992.