LEGENDARY GEMS OF SRI LANKA: WORLD TREASURES FROM THE ISLAND OF JEWELS

1.GIANT OF THE ORIENT

In 1902, a giant blue sapphire was reportedly discovered near Adam’s Peak in Sri Lanka. The leading exporter at the time, O.L.M. Macan Marker & Co, purchased the rough stone, which weighed over 600 carats. A local cutter worked on the gem, transforming it into a 466-carat cushion-cut sapphire with an impressive cornflower-blue hue. At the time, it was one of the largest faceted blue sapphires of its kind, known for its intense medium blue color with full saturation and a striking orange-red fluorescence under ultraviolet light.

In 1902, the stone was valued at $7,000. Dubbed the “Giant of the Orient,” the sapphire remained out of the public eye for nearly a century. In 1907, it was sold to an anonymous American collector and stayed hidden until it resurfaced in Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction catalog in May 2004.

Some experts believe the stone had a 20-carat discrepancy, which Christie’s auction catalog noted. This could have been due to an error in the measuring equipment of the time or a simple recording mistake. Although the sapphire failed to sell at auction, Christie’s later received an offer and sold it to an anonymous British buyer. The stone has not been seen publicly since.

2.LOGAN BLUE SAPPHIRE

3.BLUE BELLA OF ASIA

The Blue Belle of Asia, a highly coveted 400-carat cornflower blue sapphire, was discovered in a paddy field in Ratnapura in 1926. The term “belle” highlights the exceptional beauty of this magnificent gem, which was once owned by Lord Nuffield of Britain. The Blue Belle resurfaced at Christie’s Auction in Geneva, Switzerland, where it had been recut to 395.52 carats and set in a stunning diamond necklace. In 2014, it sold for $17.29 million, setting a record as the highest price ever achieved for a sapphire at auction.

4.BLUE BELLA OF ASIA

5.GRAYISH BLUE STAR INDIA

One of the largest grayish blue Star sapphire gems in the world. It is almost flawless weighing at 563 Carats. The specialty of this masterpiece is that it has stars on the both sides which is extremely rare for this size of sapphire. Though it was called the star of India this is actually discovered in Sri Lanka.
India does not have record of producing sapphire of this size in a long time and the puzzling question was how it got the name as star of India. The possible explanation was that the time the stone was found the Sri Lanka was under rule and Administered by the British East Indian company from Madras in India. The India being the proud and largest British administrated country known to the world, took the liberty of announcing the gem as the property British East Indian company which stuck to the name of the stone. The spectacular star sapphire is currently being housed in the hall of J.P. Morgan at American Museum of Natural History.

6.BLACK PRINCE RUBY/SPINEL

This 170 carat red spinel is an extraordinary piece with a unique history that included the Black Prince Ruby. Though all the red transparent thought to be ruby in Monarch periods, the recent technological advancement revealed this as a Red Spinel. Eye catching uncut red spinel has been owned by the British family since 1367. The estimated value equivalent to GBP 10 Million in 2016.

Although the origin was unconfirmed it is believed to be originated from either Sri Lanka or Tajikistan. Richard III is also reported to have worn the Black Prince Spinel in his helmet at the Battle of Bosworth Field where he died. It now forms the centerpiece of the imperial state crown of Great Britain and is exhibited in the tower of London.

7.EMPRESS MARIA'S SAPPHIRE

This splendid oval cut Sri Lankan blue sapphire is 260.37 carats and was purchased by the Russian Emperor Alexander II in the London Great Exhibition of 1862 and presented to his wife Empress Maria Alexandro nova. This sapphire was subsequently made as a center price of brooch that also consisted 56 carats of diamond. The exceptional sapphire has the characteristics of priceless masterpiece for its color, cut, size and clarity. Contrasting to the stones of this size, the colour of the stone is evenly distributed and medium dark saturated blue color shared by highly priced stones. The stone has a dimension of 6cm x 5.3 cm. Two years after the death of Empress in 1880, the gem was donated to the State Diamond Fund of the Russian Federation where it is proudly displayed at their museum in Gokhran, Russia. This occupies as the 14th largest sapphire in the list of world’s famous sapphires and 9th largest blue sapphire in the world.

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