The Sri Lankan government confirmed in 2021 the discovery of the world’s largest star sapphire, found in the mud on private property during an excavation. A third-generation gemstone dealer was the one who received the stone to analyse its value. He estimated that the stone could be worth up to €90 million, but worked for months to clean it, certify it and assess its exact value. During the cleaning process, the dealer noticed that some smaller stones were coming loose from the ball and discovered that they were high-quality star sapphires.
The largest sapphire found to date
According to experts, the gemstone is over 2.5 million carats, which is equivalent to about 510 kg. Now, it is estimated that the stone could be worth up to £170 million, and foreign offers for it have already been received.
The discovery took place in Ratnapura, a district in southern Sri Lanka known as the gem capital of the country, which is also a leading exporter of sapphires and other precious gems.
The dimensions of the world’s largest sapphire are 100 cm long, 72 cm wide and 50 cm high. ‘I have never seen such a large specimen. It probably formed about 400 million years ago,’ renowned gemologist Dr Gamini Zoysa told the BBC.
