Jakarta –
A well-digger in Sri Lanka found the world’s largest star sapphire. A gem dealer said the stone was found by workers digging a well at his home in the gem-rich Ratnapura area.
Experts say the pale blue stone is estimated to be worth US$ 100 million or equivalent to Rp 1.4 trillion (exchange rate: Rp 14,000/US$) in the international market. Thus detik.com quote from BBC, Thursday (29/7/2021).
The star sapphire weighs about 510 kilograms or 2.5 million carats and is named “Serendipity Sapphire”.
“The guy who dug the well told us about some rare stones. Then we found this huge specimen,” Gamage, the rock’s owner, told the BBC.
He would not give his full name or location for security reasons. Gamage who is a third generation gem dealer alerted the authorities about the find, but it took more than a year to clear the stones of mud and other impurities before they were able to analyze and certify it.
During the cleanup process, Gamage said some stones fell from the cluster and high-quality star sapphires were found.
“I’ve never seen such a large specimen before. It probably formed around 400 million years ago,” Dr Gamini Zoysa, a renowned gemologist, told the BBC.
The findings come as Sri Lanka’s gem industry has suffered losses due to the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Those working in the industry hope the “Serendipity Stone” will now attract international buyers and experts, even though the stone has not been analyzed and endorsed by independent international experts.
“This is a special star sapphire specimen, probably the largest in the world. Given its size and value, we thought it would be of interest to private collectors or museums,” said Thilak Weerasinghe, Chairman of Sri Lanka’s National Gems and Jewelery Authority.
Sri Lanka is an exporter of sapphires and other precious gems. Last year, the country earned about half a billion dollars through exports of gems, cut diamonds and jewellery.
(toy/fdl)
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