Sri Lanka has been the scene of an extraordinary find: a natural corundum of blue sapphire of extraordinary dimensions. And it is that this mineral found in the island nation weighs 310 kilograms, which makes it a unique element on the planet. So much so that it has already been rated as the biggest in the world by the authorities of the country.
This gem of unique characteristics, which has been dubbed the “Queen of Asia”, will be auctioned in the near future. At the moment the date and place where this event will take place has not been made official, but the Sri Lankan Jewels and Gems Authority, Tilak Weerasinghe, points out to Efe that it could be in Dubai on January 10th.
The Sri Lankan authorities have decided keep this unique one-piece blue corundum rock and they calculate that it will reach a high value in the market.
“Before we had several ideas of what we wanted to do with it, how to break it, but now we do not agree with that idea,” explained the president of the Gemological Institute of Ratnapura (GIR), Chamila Surnaga, who explained that they have been inclined towards keep it in its natural state because it is a “very precious specimen” and rare.
Could reach $100 million
Surnaga considers the blue corundum rock found in Sri Lanka to have a exceptional value because “even if only one kilogram of transparent blue sapphire was found in this, we think it will be worth $100 million”.
“As far as we know, this specimen is indeed rare and it is not registered in the gemological literature”, assures the Gemological Institute of Ratnapura (GIR), an entity that details that the color of this peculiar rock changes to a “silky blue appearance in some patches”.
The rare blue corundum was found in an excavation conducted approximately six months ago in Ratnapura, town located in the province of Sabaragamuwa, known as the “City of gems” of Sri Lanka, according to Efe. This country is one of the world’s leading exporters of sapphires and other precious gems.