The world’s largest gem-quality rough ruby Estrela de Fura, Portuguese for Star of Fura, was unveiled in Dubai. Almas Tower, Jumeirah Lake Towers, was the venue at which this beautiful 101 carats ruby was revealed. The ruby was excavated from a mine in Mozambique. Its fluorescence and vivid-red hue make it an exceptionally rare find in addition to being the largest. Dev Shetty, founder and CEO of Fura Gems, said, “This discovery is an unprecedented occurrence and a moment of honor for us at Fura and for Mozambique.” Estrela de Fura flaunts a gem-like quality that grants it the status of being a “once in a century” discovery.
“The Estrela de Fura ruby is likely to yield an intense, saturated red color once fully and properly faceted with adequate proportions,” Daniel Nyfeler, managing director, Gübelin Gem Lab, said. He added, “Compared to most rubies, including those from Burma, which tend to be fairly included when reaching sizes above 5 carats, this ruby is relatively free of eye-visible inclusions. Considering its very large size, the vivid-red color and clarity characteristics of this ruby give it an extraordinary potential to become one of the largest high-quality faceted rubies ever seen,” shared Jeweller Magazine. The other significant rubies in collections worldwide come with considerable impurities, which does not grant them the same pedestal as the 101-carat Star of Fura.
The gem will be showcased in Dubai for a month before heading to a private auction in October. Potential buyers will make their assessments over two days and be prepared to dish out a price north of $100m. “Anyone could potentially buy this. It could be a cutting house, a jewelry brand, a collector or even a museum,” Shetty said.
