The world’s largest natural blue sapphire, named the “Queen of Asia”, has been found in Sri Lanka.
The specialty of this sapphire is that it is comprised of aluminium oxide, titanium, iron, and nickel. The rare stone, weighing around 310 kg, was found in a gem pit in Ratnapura near the capital Colombo, and is estimated to be worth more than US$100 million. Ratnapura, popularly known as Gem City, is a major exporter of sapphires and other precious gems. In 2020, Sri Lanka earned roughly half a billion dollars from the export of gems, diamonds and other jewels.
A group of Buddhist monks chanted blessings for the gemstone before it was unveiled.
“I have never seen such a large specimen before. This was probably formed around 400 million years ago,” said renowned gemmologist Gamini Zoysa.
Meanwhile, Thilak Weerasinghe, the Chairman of the National Gem and Jewellery Authority of Sri Lanka said “It is a special star sapphire specimen, probably the biggest in the world. Given the size and its value, we think it will interest private collectors or museums.”
The country’s local gems and jewellery industry body had reported that it had earned around half a billion dollars through the export of gems, diamonds, and other jewellery last year.
Credit : WION
Picture Credit : Google
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