Sri Lanka unveils 3,563-carat purple star sapphire, world’s largest

Sri Lanka Unveils World’s Largest Purple Star Sapphire

A 3,563-carat purple star sapphire named the “Star of Pure Land” was unveiled Saturday in Colombo, with experts calling it the world’s largest documented natural purple star sapphire. The owners have indicated they are prepared to sell the gem, which international valuers estimate is worth between $300 million and $400 million.

The round-shaped, polished stone was presented at a ceremony in Sri Lanka’s capital and has been certified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the Lanka Gemological Laboratory, both of which confirmed its Sri Lankan origin.abcnews

A Rare Six-Ray Star

“This is the largest purple star sapphire of its kind,” consultant gemologist Ashan Amarasinghe told reporters at the unveiling. He described the gem as displaying “a well-defined asterism. It has six rays asterism. That’s something special out of all the other stones.”citynews

The asterism, or star effect, is an optical phenomenon caused by needle-like inclusions within the stone that create a star pattern across its surface when light strikes the gem. Specialists noted that the stone’s round cabochon cut, combined with its exceptional size, clarity, and color, makes it the largest known round-cut natural purple star sapphire ever recorded.newswire

Discovery and Certification

According to one of the owners, the sapphire was found in a gem pit near Rathnapura, a remote town known as the “city of gems,” in 2023. The stone was purchased alongside other gems that year, but it took approximately two years before the owners recognized its exceptional nature and had it authenticated by two laboratories.mymotherlode

The gem is owned by the Star of Pure Land Team, who have chosen to remain anonymous for security reasons. Custodial responsibility for the sapphire is currently held through the Tucson Masterpiece Gem Society in the United States.newswire

Sri Lanka’s Gem Legacy

The discovery adds to Sri Lanka’s long history as one of the world’s premier sources of precious stones. Rathnapura, located about 100 kilometers southeast of Colombo, has been the heart of the island’s gem industry for more than 2,000 years, producing sapphires, rubies, and other precious stones that have graced royal courts and museums worldwide.ceylonbluesapphires

Sri Lankan sapphires are renowned internationally for their distinctive color, clarity, and brilliance. The country has previously yielded other notable specimens, including the 1,404-carat Star of Adam, currently considered the world’s largest blue star sapphire, and the 733-carat Black Star of Queensland.sfgate

The previous Guinness World Record for the largest cut purple sapphire was 332.18 carats, held by the Medici Collection in the United States.guinnessworldrecords