Two birds, one stone
A quest to return a 16,500-carat rock of turquoise to its rightful home could also be a conduit for dialogue between Beijing and the Tibetan government-in-exile, says Peter Simpson
Caked in centuries-old grime, a rock of turquoise could hold the key to that rarest of events in Asian political affairs: co-operation between Beijing and the Dalai Lama.
Valued at up to an improbable US$100 million, the gem - believed to be the largest in existence - had been through a series of auctions and even a Paris flea market before being spotted recently by an eagle-eyed collector in a catalogue for a private auction.
"The stone has changed hands many times in Europe, with many people failing to realise what it was, since they had never seen a [rock of] turquoise this large," says Mike Gladstone, the spokesman for a group of British collectors and businessmen who have come together to try to get the stone repatriated. Realising it was probably the long-lost property of a Tibetan monastery, the group - whose number and names are being kept a closely guarded secret - each handed over £7,000 (HK$83,000) to save the piece from the jeweller's saw.
They have now handed the gem over to the British representative of the Dalai Lama with one wish - to see it reunited with its rightful owners, a mission far easier willed than executed.
