The Word’s Five Most Famous Blue Sapphires
Blue sapphires are valued and admired all over the world for their beauty and rarity. The following list showcases the top five world famous blue sapphires in order of their amazing weights from lowest to highest.
Famous Blue Sapphire #5: Star of Bombay (182 carats)
Origin: Sri Lanka
Cut: Star
Current Location: National Museum of Natural History, Washington
The Star of Bombay is a 182-carat (36.4-g) cabochon-cut star sapphire originating from Sri Lanka. The violet-blue gem was given to silent film actress Mary Pickford by her husband, Douglas Fairbanks. She bequeathed it to the Smithsonian Institution. It is the namesake of the popular alcoholic beverage Bombay Sapphire, a British-manufactured gin.
According to Southern Jewelry News, “The Star of Bombay sapphire belongs to the mineral species corundum. Pure corundum is colorless, but trace amounts of transition elements like vanadium or chromium result in different colors in the crystal. The Star of Bombay’s violet-blue color is caused by the presence of titanium and iron giving the blue tint, and vanadium contributing to its violet back color.”
Famous Blue Sapphire #4: Logan Sapphire (422.99 carats)
Origin: Sri Lanka
Cut: Cushion
Current Location: National Museum of Natural History, Washington
The Logan Sapphire is a flawless specimen from Sri Lanka, a cushion-cut stone which possesses a rich deep blue color and is the second largest (blue) sapphire known, weighing 422.99 carats (84.6 g).
The stone, roughly the size of an egg, is one of the world’s largest and most famous sapphires. The Logan Sapphire is named after Polly Logan, who donated the gemstone to the Smithsonian Institution in 1960.
The Logan Sapphire is set in a brooch surrounded by 20 round brilliant cut diamonds weighing, in total, 16 carats (3.2 g). It is currently on display at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., alongside the Bismarck Sapphire Necklace and the Hall Sapphire and Diamond Necklace.
Famous Blue Sapphire #3: Queen Marie of Romania (478.68 carats)
Origin: Sri Lanka
Cut: Cushion
Current Location: Undisclosed Private Owner
The Queen Marie of Romania sapphire is named from its association with Marie. Originally set in a necklace by Cartier in 1913, the drop jewel weighs 478 carats. It was transferred to a diamond necklace in 1919 and King Ferdinand purchased it for Marie in 1921. The price was 1,375,000 francs, to be paid in four instalments until 1924. At the time, large jewelry had not excited Marie’s interest; she preferred to wear a Greek cross or, when she attended the Paris Opera, her pearls. However, the sapphire sautoir (jewel chain) was an ideal match for the sapphire tiara she had bought from Russian exile Grand Duchess Vladimir. She wore them both at her coronation receptions and when sitting for her portrait by Philip de László. During her visit to the United States, when she presided over a ball at the New York Ritz-Carlton, one observer remarked: “There was a heavy chain of diamonds, broken at intervals with squares of massive design. From this chain was suspended an unbelievable egg-shaped sapphire, one of the largest, it is said, in the world”.
Famous Blue Sapphire #2: Star of India (563.4 carats)
Origin: Sri Lanka
Cut: Star
Current Location: American Museum of Natural History, New York
The Star of India is a 563.35-carat (112.67 g) star sapphire, one of the largest such gems in the world.] It is almost flawless and is unusual in that it has stars on both sides of the stone. The greyish blue gem was mined in Sri Lanka and is housed in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
The milky quality of the stone is caused by the traces of the mineral rutile, which is also responsible for the star effect, known as asterism. The tiny fibers of the mineral, aligned in a three-fold pattern within the gem, reflect incoming light into the star pattern
Famous Blue Sapphire #1: Star of Adam (1404.49 carats)
Origin: Sri Lanka
Cut: Star
Current Location: Undisclosed Private Owner
The Star of Adam is an oval-shaped blue star sapphire, currently the largest star sapphire in the world. It weighs 1,404.49 carats(280.898 g; 9.9084 oz) Prior to its discovery, the Black Star of Queensland, weighing 733 carats (146.6 g), was the largest star sapphire gem in the world.
The blue-colored gemstone has a six-pointed star-shaped reflection or distinctive mark in the center. This very large star sapphire was discovered in Ratnapura (known by the nickname “City of Gems”), in southern Sri Lanka, in August 2015. It was named “The Star of Adam” by the current owner, as a reference to Muslim beliefs that Adam arrived in Sri Lanka and lived on Adam’s Peak after leaving the Garden of Eden.
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