The biggest ruby ever to come to auction has been sold in New York for a record sum of $34.8m. Sotheby’s, which auctioned the 55.22-carat gem, described it as a “once-in-a-lifetime” jewel. The original rough stone weighed a staggering 101 carats when it was found last year in a mine in Mozambique, where there are vast ruby deposits in the north of the country. Polished rubies of more than five carats are extremely uncommon. The rare gem has been called “Estrela de Fura”, meaning “Star of Fura” in Portuguese, named after the mine in which it was found. Quig Bruning, head of Sotheby’s Jewellery in New York, said when he first saw the stone he was entranced, the Press Association reports.
One of Mozambique’s Poorest Regions, but it is Rich in Untapped Mineral Resources
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