Family Finds Ancient Religious Artifact Off Florida Coast
A family scavenging off the coast of Florida has discovered a "priceless" and "unique" piece of jewelry worn around priests' necks in the 1700's in Spain.
The small, square shaped ornament was discovered by the Schmitt Family, who were scavenging near a shipwreck site off of Fort Pierce in eastern Florida where 11 ships sank in 1715. The ornamental piece matches another piece of jewelry discovered in the same area 25 years earlier, and when put together they form a pyx, or a necklace worn around a high priest's neck to carry communion.
Brent Brisben, who operates the 1715 sink site, known as "Queens Jewels," told Reuters that the recent discovery is "priceless, unique, one of a kind."
The fleet, traveling from Spain to the U.S., sank off the coast of Florida in 1715 after encountering a fierce hurricane. It has also been described as the "Treasure Fleet."
According to WJXT Jacksonville, this is the second time the Schmitt family of Sanford has discovered treasure in the past year at the Spanish shipwreck site. Rick, Eric and Lisa Schmitt, who are professional scavengers, reportedly found 50 feet of gold chain and several gold coins worth $500,000 in September 2013, the local media outlet reports.
It is unclear how much their most recent high-karat discovery is worth. According to WJXT Jacksonville, the Scmitt family will hold a press conference Wednesday to discuss their discovery and show their artifact to local media outlets.
