article_snippet: Ownership of the 180,000 carat Bahia emerald has come down to two parties: an Idaho businessman who says he was once swindled into buying a stake in the gem and the government of Brazil, where the stone was first unearthed before embarking on 10 years of international intrigue.
article_snippet: The Bahia emerald, one of the world's largest, has wound up in the custody of the LA County Sheriffs Dept after over a decade of changing hands and being shipped, stolen and fought over in court .
article_snippet: Crystals the size of a man's arm protrude from the stone and make the Bahia one of the largest emeralds ever unearthed . '
article_snippet: The massive stone, which was pulled from a mine in the jungles of Brazil's Bahia state and is known as the Bahia Emerald, is not going to win any beauty contests.
article_snippet: According to those who have seen it, it is a hulking brute of a gem, with several thick green rods the size of a man's forearms jutting out of a stone base.
article_snippet: The Bahia, one of the world's largest emeralds, has had a long journey since Silicon Valley entrepreneur Tony Thomas had Silicon Valley entrepreneur Tony Thomas photographed with it in a carport in Brazil in 2001.
article_snippet: Most gem-quality emeralds are mined in Colombia, not Brazil, where they tend to have more impurities.
article_snippet: The emerald was never they to buy, trade, sell, or invest in,' Nadolenco said. '
article_snippet: Not so clear: Now at an undisclosed location, the Bahia may go to one of two or three parties, including the nation of Brazil, which wishes to repatriate The emerald .