Fabulous discovery: The Story of the 2.5 Million-Carat Sapphire Cluster Found by Accident
Workers digging a well in the backyard of a gemstone dealer from Sri Lanka made a spectacular discovery - a sapphire cluster weighing an astonishing 510 kilograms or 2.5 million carats.
The sapphire cluster is almost 100 centimeters long and 71 centimeters wide.
The cluster has been named the "Serendipity Sapphire", is pale blue in color, and, according to BBC News, is worth more than 100 million dollars. It is the largest of its kind in the world.
The fabulous discovery was made in the southern city of Ratnapura, which is known in Sri Lanka as the "City of Precious Stones".
"The person who was digging the well alerted us about some rare stones. Later we stumbled upon this huge specimen" Gamage, who declined to give his full name, told the BBC.
The gemstone dealer said he realized that the discovery could be worth an astronomical sum after pieces of high-quality sapphire continued to fall off the cluster while he was cleaning impurities off the rock. It remains to be seen if all the stones inside the cluster are high-quality or not.
"I have never seen such a large specimen. It most likely formed about 400 million years ago," said Gamini Zoysa, a gemstone specialist.
According to Insider, the total value of the gemstone and jewelry trade is around $ 550 million a year in Sri Lanka, which means that the sapphire cluster discovered in Gamage's yard is worth about one-fifth of that amount.
Other large blue sapphires were found in this country, such as "Blue Belle of Asia", a 392-carat sapphire that was sold at auction for $ 17.5 million, and the "Star of India," a 563-carat sapphire that is currently on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
A Sri Lankan jewelers' organization told the BBC in 2011 that the 12-carat sapphire engagement ring of Duchess Kate Middleton probably came from mines in Sri Lanka.
The sapphire cluster is almost 100 centimeters long and 71 centimeters wide.
The cluster has been named the "Serendipity Sapphire", is pale blue in color, and, according to BBC News, is worth more than 100 million dollars. It is the largest of its kind in the world.
The fabulous discovery was made in the southern city of Ratnapura, which is known in Sri Lanka as the "City of Precious Stones".
The lucky trader
The gemstone trader, who comes from a family that has been doing business with gemstones for 3 generations, said that it took him more than a year to wash the cluster, analyze its purity and officially certify it."The person who was digging the well alerted us about some rare stones. Later we stumbled upon this huge specimen" Gamage, who declined to give his full name, told the BBC.
The gemstone dealer said he realized that the discovery could be worth an astronomical sum after pieces of high-quality sapphire continued to fall off the cluster while he was cleaning impurities off the rock. It remains to be seen if all the stones inside the cluster are high-quality or not.
"I have never seen such a large specimen. It most likely formed about 400 million years ago," said Gamini Zoysa, a gemstone specialist.
Sri Lanka is world-famous for its high-quality sapphires
According to Insider, the total value of the gemstone and jewelry trade is around $ 550 million a year in Sri Lanka, which means that the sapphire cluster discovered in Gamage's yard is worth about one-fifth of that amount.
Other large blue sapphires were found in this country, such as "Blue Belle of Asia", a 392-carat sapphire that was sold at auction for $ 17.5 million, and the "Star of India," a 563-carat sapphire that is currently on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
A Sri Lankan jewelers' organization told the BBC in 2011 that the 12-carat sapphire engagement ring of Duchess Kate Middleton probably came from mines in Sri Lanka.
