Between 1995 and 1998, a couple of Disney resort members were walking along the shoreline picking up shells. The spied several little "green" stones about the size of their thumb nails. They picked up about 12 of the largest ones as they later stated of a larger quantity had washed in. When they returned home up north and they showed a relative their shells and "green" stones from their trip. The relative was a gemologist and told the couple that the green stones were in fact rough cut Emeralds.
A call was made to Mel Fisher's museum and they were told that the Emeralds were not on the cargo manifest so they must have been contraband that was being smuggled in.
Some may try to play down this story as folklore but the story came from Mel Fisher himself before he passed away in 1998. I always tell TH'ers who detect the 1715 shorelines to be watchful for any "green" stones that might be washing in. According to a 1980 Gemstone Manual, a rough cut Emerald starts at $200 a carat which has probably inflated greatly since and even at $200 that isn't anything to shrug off.
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Here is another treasure tip that I saw in the 1980's when I belonged to a TH'ing club. Two TH'ers were hunting the wet sand from Flagler Beach in New Symrna Beach to Ponce Inlet on the wet sand. They found several black wax balls that resembled "Grape Shot". Taking a knife and splitting one of the balls revealed an 1790's 8 Reale and a 2 carat facet rough Emerald.
They'd found about 5 - 8 Reales and one 1799 US Silver dollar, all MS-60 plus 6 - 2 carat faceted Emeralds arranged on top of each coin. Surely the black wax balls were contraband from some unknown wreck disguished as "Grape Shot". But this is no tale, I saw the coins and stones myself sitting on the table. Of course the "Where" was asked by many and the only answer was between the two points that was mentioned above. This couple knew the exact spot where they found the "black balls" and I'm sure they searched the area many times since but did they get them all?
Good luck in your TH'ing.
