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South Asia’s equivalent to South Africa’s Cullinan Mine, situated in an area rich in gems that brings wealth to the country, is Ratnapura in Sri Lanka, which means ‘city of gems’ in Sinhalese.

Many valuable stones have been found in the area, making Sri Lanka a leading exporter of sapphires and other precious gems.

Similar to how the rare 39,34-carat type IIb blue diamond that sold for $40 180 180 (over R580 million) recharged South Africa’s mining industry after COVID-19 struggles, a newly found star sapphire cluster should do the same for Sri Lanka.

It is said to have an estimated value of up to $100 million in the international market, per the BBC.

The stone has been dubbed the world’s largest star sapphire cluster by Sri Lankan authorities, and was found by accident in a gem trader’s backyard:

“The person who was digging the well alerted us about some rare stones. Later we stumbled upon this huge specimen,” Mr Gamage, [a third-generation gem trader and] the owner of the stone, told the BBC.

Image: Mr Gamage

The pale blue stone (similar to the one pictured in the headline image) has been named the “Serendipity Sapphire” and weighs 510 kilograms at 2,5 million carats.

As soon as Mr Gamage found the stone, he informed the authorities.

They then took over a year to clean the mud and other impurities off the stone before analysis and certification could happen:

During the cleaning process, Mr Gamage said some stones fell out of the cluster and they were found to be high quality star sapphires.

Experts have specified that the specimen has a high carat value overall, but that doesn’t mean all of the stones inside the cluster will be high-quality.

Dr Gamini Zoysa, a renowned gemmologist, reckons the large specimen was probably formed around 400 million years ago.

A rare and lucky find, indeed.

It is hoped that the “Serendipity Stone” will attract international buyers and experts and revitalise Sri Lanka’s gem industry.

[source:bbc]