The ruby Star of Fura of 55.22 carats, the largest of “gem” quality ever to appear at an auction, was sold on Thursday evening by Sotheby’s in New York for the astonishing sum of 34.8 million dollars (about 32.3 million euros). Estrela surpassed the previous world record held by Sunrise Ruby, a 25.59-carat Burmese ruby, also sold by Sotheby’s in Geneva, in May 2015, for 30.3 million dollars. The buyer’s identity has not been disclosed.
L’Estrela de Fura, which means “star of Fura”, with reference to the company Fura Gems who had extracted it in the Montepuez deposit, in northern Mozambique, is a cushion-cut ruby derived from the cut of the original 101-carat gem. Fura Gems Dubaiwhich had put the stone up for auction, will allocate 2% of the proceeds from the sale to the creation of Fura Training Academyin support of the community in which it operates in Mozambique.
The New York sale also set a record for a pink ruby: The Eternal Pink it changed hands for 34.8 million, a world record for a diamond of this color.