The largest ruby ever to be sold at an auction went for a record-setting $34.8million, less than a year after it was mined in Mozambique.
The 55.22 carat ruby, which named Estrela de Fura – Fura Star in Portuguese – was described as ‘an exceptional treasure’ at the Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels sale in New York on Thursday.
The near $35million sale was a new world auction record for a ruby as well as for any colored gemstone.
The record was previously held by the Sunrise Ruby, a 25.59 carat Burmese stone, which sold for $30.3million at Sotheby’s Geneva in May 2015.
Estrela de Fura was found in July 2022 in Mozambique, in a mine operated by Fura, a Dubai-based mining company.
The 55.22-carat gem isunusual not only for its size and purity, but also for its location. Until the discovery of Estrela de Fura, it was thought that only Burma held rubies of such color and clarity.
Some analysts said the ‘once in a century’ find was shaking up the gemstone industry.
The ruby was recently cut from a 101 carat ɾօυɢҺ discovered at a ruby mine in Mozambique in July 2022, one of the largest ruby deposits in the world.
Sotheby’s has said that rubies of this magnitude are ‘exceedingly rare’, with only two examples previously hitting the $15million mark.
Quig Bruning, head of Sotheby’s Jewelry in the Americas, said: ‘Today, we witnessed the historic sale of not one, but two of the most exquisite and important diamonds and gemstones to ever hit the auction block.
‘It’s difficult to express the range of emotions I felt when I first laid eyes on the Estrela de Fura 55.22, but to put it simply, I was entranced.
‘With its unprecedented size, piercing color and rare degree of optical transparency and clarity, it truly deserved the record-breaking price today, as it now joins the ranks of the world’s most legєɴԀary gemstones.’
Reflecting on the pink diamond’s achievement, he added: ‘It was equally an honor to have handled a diamond as breathtaking and extraordinary in nature as The Eternal Pink, and its price today reaffirms that Sotheby’s is the premier destination for the world’s rarest diamond creations.
‘I proudly speak on behalf of the global jewelry department at Sotheby’s when I say how truly privileged we are to have been a steward of these ultra-rare gems and today’s results are further proof that there is continued demand for the finest diamonds and gemstones of the very highest order.’
Sotheby’s said that even in its ɾօυɢҺ, 101-carat untouched state, the ruby ‘was considered by experts as an exceptional treasure of nature’.
It is celebrated ‘for its fluorescence, outstanding clarity and vivid red hue, known as ‘pigeon’s blood’ — a color traditionally associated only with Burmese rubies.’
The Gubelin Gem Lab, one of two laboratories that graded the gem, said the size and the quality of the ruby was ‘almost unimaginable’.
‘To see a natural ruby of this size, with such a combination of quality characteristics spared from treatment was considered almost unimaginable,’ the New York-based firm said.
‘The natural ruby of 55.22-carat is setting a new record not only for Mozambican rubies, but also for rubies in general.’
The other gem lab, Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF), also based in New York, wrote that gem displays ‘vivid red hues due to multiple internal reflections.’
They said that ‘a natural ruby from Mozambique of this size and quality can be considered very rare and thus an exceptional treasure of nature.’
The current world record for a ruby sold at auction is held by the Sunrise Ruby, a 25.59 carat Burmese stone, which was auctioned at Sotheby’s Geneva in May 2015 for $30.3 million.
This price also established a new record for any ruby per carat ($1,185,451 per carat), at the time.
The ruby was found in an area of Mozambique,Cabo Delgado province, which has seen attacks from ISIS-inspired Islamist militants.
The town of Montepuez was attacked in October, with hundreds of people fleeing their homes, according toHuman Rights Watch.
Two mines operating in the area – not run by Fura – were forced to cease operations amid the attacks.
