The 180,000-carat Bahia Emerald has long been held in Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department custody, but a federal judge's ruling could clear the way for it to return to Brazil.

Many have claimed to be the rightful owner of the 836-pound Bahia emerald, reputed to be the world’s largest, which is worth as much as $1 billion. Their legal battles have endured for so long and ensnared so many participants — including, ultimately, the Federative Republic of Brazil — that people have taken to calling the rock cursed.

The rare Bahia Emerald, which was mined in Brazil in 2001 and smuggled to the U.S., has long been the subject of competing claims of ownership