On June 8, Sotheby’s will auction what it describes as the “world’s largest gem-quality ruby ever discovered” at its Magnificent Jewels sale in New York City.
The 55.22 ct. Estrela de Fura (which translates to “Star of Fura”) was cut from a 101 ct. ruby, unearthed at Fura Gems’ ruby mine in Montepuez, Mozambique, in July 2022. To find a piece of ruby rough that big is considered extremely rare. It carries a $30 million estimate.
Sotheby’s noted that the ruby shows a “pigeon blood” color that is generally associated with rubies from Burma.
The auction house quoted from a statement from Gübelin Gem Lab: “Already in its rough state, the Estrela de Fura showed its extraordinary quality traits with a potential to become a one-of-a-kind gemstone.
“The cutter was able to realize this potential and created a faceted ruby with an astounding 55.22 ct. weight, displaying a saturated and homogeneous red color, combined with a degree of clarity unseen in any other unheated ruby of comparable size,” the lab continued. “To see a natural ruby of this size, with such a combination of quality characteristics spared from treatment, was considered almost unimaginable. The natural ruby of 55.22 ct. is setting a new record not only for Mozambican rubies, but also for rubies in general.”
The current record holder for a ruby at auction is the Sunrise, a 25.59 ct. ruby of Burmese origin, which sold for $30.3 million (more than $1.18 million per carat) at Sotheby’s Geneva in 2015. Only two rubies have ever broken the $15 million barrier at auction.
The Fura gemstone is currently exhibited at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, and will tour Taipei, China, Singapore, Geneva and Dubai before arriving in New York.
At the same auction, Sotheby’s will also sell what it calls the “most significant pink diamond” ever.
(Photos courtesy of Sotheby’s)
Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazineFollow JCK on Twitter: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine
