Largest ruby in the world sells for a record price
The legendary Mozambican ruby has become both the largest and most valuable gem of its kind ever to sell at auction.
The dubbed Estrela de Fura ruby was discovered in one of Fura Gems’ mines in Mozambique, a country known for its rich ruby deposits. The rough stone was found by miners in July of the previous year and weighed 101 carats at the time.
The gem is considered exceedingly rare due to its size and quality. It was the largest gem-quality ruby ever discovered, weighing 101 carats in its rough form and later cut down to 55.22 carats during the polishing and cutting process.
Sale
The ruby was put up for auction by Sotheby’s in New York in June of the following year. Sotheby’s described it as the most valuable and important ruby to have hit the market at the time. The auction resulted in a sale price of $34.8 million, placing it as one of the world’s most significant and valuable rubies.
The Estrela de Fura ruby was characterized by Sotheby’s as having “outstanding clarity” and a vivid red hue. The gem’s color is described as “pigeon’s blood,” a term often associated with highly prized Burmese rubies. Prior to the auction, the rough stone underwent a process of polishing, cutting, and cleaning to enhance its color, brightness, and symmetry. The Swiss Gemmological Institute analyzed the ruby and stated that the cutting process resulted in vivid red hues due to multiple internal reflections.
Mozambique has a long history of ruby mining, but large-scale ruby mining operations only began in 2009 when a substantial deposit was discovered near the city of Montepuez. The Estrela de Fura ruby exemplifies the success of the ruby mining industry in Mozambique. Prior to the Estrela de Fura ruby, the record for the highest auction price for a ruby was held by the Sunrise Ruby. The Sunrise Ruby, a 25.59-carat stone from Myanmar, was sold for $30.3 million in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2015.
