PLUS: Tell me about your favorite WIRED stories.

View in browser  |  Your newsletter preferences Not yet a subscriber? By Eve Sneider | 08.12.23 The Giant Green Rock That Ruins Lives Elizabeth Weil's 2017 investigation into the fraught, twisted, unfortunate curse of the Bahia emerald is one of those nonfiction stories that just has everything. We're talking convoluted lawsuits. We're talking panther attacks in the depths of the rainforest. Oh, and did I mention the hairy half-Sicilian guy in Florida peddling his unpublished memoir? The truth really is stranger than fiction, and thank god for that. Here's what you need to know. In 2001, miners in the Brazilian state of Bahia unearthed a strange, otherworldly, 752-pound emerald—a truly singular specimen, and not a very pretty one at that. From almost the moment it was discovered, this rock—the Bahia emerald—was a source of controversy. "A shocking amount of bullshit happens with big, rare stones," as Weil points out, and this was certainly no exception. Over the ensuing years, fourteen individuals or entities, not to mention the nation of Brazil, would try to declare the precious gem theirs. None of them could quite escape its curse. By the time Weil began her reporting, the massive emerald had landed itself in a vault controlled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. I won't spoil the rest of the story for you; it's worth a read, I promise. But I'm hoping that some of you, inspired by its many twists, turns, and colorful characters, will tell me stories from your own lives this week. What's something that has happened to you that felt cinematic, for better or for worse? A chance encounter with someone from a past life? A lucky lottery ticket? An absolutely wretched year? I'd love it if you wrote me a note telling me one of your own stranger-than-fiction stories. See you next week! Eve Eve Sneider, Deputy Ideas Editor Read the Full Story Originally published in March 2017. SUBSCRIBE TO READ THIS STORY  The Curse of the Bahia Emerald, a Giant Green Rock That Wreaks Havoc and Ruins Lives It's a one-of-a-kind geological artifact. What's it worth? $100 million—or nothing. You Might Also Like SUBSCRIBE TO READ THIS STORY  The Deadly Global War for Sand The global demand for plain old sand is so high that illegal mines are everywhere, and mafias around the world are killing for the stuff. Mercury Could Be Littered With Diamonds Scientists think the diminutive planet's surface could be covered with space gems, thanks to an abundance of carbon and pressure from colliding asteroids. The Lithium Mine Versus the Wildflower The deposit could power millions of clean-energy car batteries. There's just one roadblock: a rare, fragile species of buckwheat, for which a mine might mean extinction. The Big Business of Burying Carbon The porous rock beneath the Gulf Coast launched the petroleum age. Now entrepreneurs want to turn it into a gigantic sponge for storing carbon dioxide. The Race to Find 'Green' Helium Helium is a critical—and finite—resource. The future of our most indispensable technologies depends on a new supply. ADVERTISEMENT Slow Motion Train Wreck Last week's Classics revisited Gideon Lewis-Kraus' look inside the early days of a Silicon Valley startup. In response, Dave Chapman wrote in to tell me about his 40 years working (and, for some of that time, living) in Silicon Valley. "I have always felt that the most important thing causing certain areas to have a flowering of innovation is culture. I believe that, as soon as the media starts talking about a given center of innovation, it attracts 'the wrong sort of people,' which ultimately destroys the place," he observed. "In the case of Santa Clara County, the very high returns on Venture Capital pools (in the 1980s) caused lots of Wall Street People to set up a Venture Capital subsidiary on Sand Hill Road. It was a slow-motion train wreck."   Tell me about your favorite WIRED stories and magazine-related memories, and each week I'll feature one of you here. Write to me at eve_sneider@wired.com, and include "CLASSICS" in the subject line. GET WIRED Get 1 year of WIRED for less than $1 per month. That includes Steven Levy's exclusive newsletter and a free tote! Subscribe now. ADVERTISEMENT Have questions or comments? Reply to this email.   This email was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our email address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or manage your newsletter subscriptions   Copyright © Condé Nast 2023. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.