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The New York-based auction house Sotheby's has recently announced that in June it will auction the world's largest ruby, a valuable 55.22-carat specimen known as the Estrela de Fura. Coming from Mozambique, this rare ruby could become the most expensive gem ever sold at auction, with sale estimates exceeding 30 million dollars.
The Estrela de Fura stands out from other rubies by being of Mozambican origin, in contrast to the traditional, classic Burmese rubies. The auction was revealed at a preview held in Hong Kong, where the auction house highlighted the ruby as one of the most significant pieces to be auctioned.
The current record for a ruby sold at auction was set in 2015, when the "Sunrise Ruby", a 25.59-carat Burmese gem, reached the impressive sum of 30.3 million dollars at Sotheby's in Geneva. The Estrela de Fura, should it reach or exceed the estimates, could break that record.
Discovered in July 2022 at the Fura Gems ruby mine in Montepuez, Mozambique, the ruby was initially a 101-carat rough gem. Since then, it has attracted the attention of experts and enthusiasts in the gem sector, owing to its exceptional quality and size.
Dev Shetty, CEO of Fura Gems, stressed the rarity of this gem, emphasising that the quality and size of the Estrela de Fura are almost unprecedented in the world of precious stones.
Sotheby's jewellery specialist Uni Kim reinforced the importance of this auction by stating that the sale of the Estrela de Fura could set a new record for Mozambican rubies, exceeding 30 million dollars.
Before being auctioned in New York on 8 June, the gem will be exhibited in several cities around the world, including Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Geneva and Dubai, giving interested parties and experts the opportunity to appreciate the beauty and rarity of this extraordinary precious stone.
