January 06, 16
(IDEX Online News) – Sri Lankan gemmologists have claimed that a mine in the country has produced the largest blue star sapphire ever discovered, according to a report on bbc.com.
Certified by the gemology institute in the capital Colombo, the gem weighs 1,404.49 carats and has been valued at approximately $100 million, although the anonymous owner estimates that it could sell for as much as $175 million at auction.
The gem, which has been nicknamed The Star of Adam, was mined in the southern Sri Lankan city of Ratnapura. Ratnapura is known as the City of Gems
The previous largest blue star sapphire – so-called because of a distinctive mark found at their center – record holder weighed in at 1,395 carats.
