For Sale: Massive $300M Purple Sapphire

A Purple Star Sapphire weighing 3,563 carats that's claimed to be the world's biggest of its kind was unveiled over the weekend in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo by the owners, who are ready to sell the precious stone estimated to be worth at least $300 million. The round gem named "Star of Pure Land" is the world's largest documented natural purple star sapphire, said Ashan Amarasinghe, a consultant gemologist. "This is the largest purple star sapphire of its kind," he said of the stone, which weighs about a pound and a half. It "shows a well-defined asterism," he said. "It has six rays asterism. That's something special out of all the other stones."

The gem, which has been polished, is owned by the Star of Pure Land Team, who want to remain anonymous for security reasons, reports the AP. One of the owners said the stone was found in a gem pit near the remote Sri Lankan town of Rathnapura, known as the "city of gems," in 2023. It was purchased together with other gems in 2023, and the owners discovered its significance last year. Amarasinghe said the value of the stone has been estimated at $300 million to $400 million by international valuers. Sri Lankan sapphires are renowned for their unique color, clarity, and shimmer.