Custody battle begins for boulder-sized €300m emerald

THE curious case of an enormous emerald weighing as much as a horse was destined for a Los Angeles courtroom last night as a judge tried to determine who owns it.

The emerald has been lugged across hemispheres, claimed by more than a dozen different parties, including a hurricane, gone missing for years at a time and is, needless to say, already the subject of folklore and urban legend.

Dug up in Brazil in 2001 and tipping the scales at 840lb, the boulder-sized Bahia Emerald is one of the largest gems ever discovered.