World’s Largest Gem-quality Ruby Discovered in Mozambique

By Xinhua 

September 16, 2022

A gem-quality rough ruby weighing 101 carats discovered in Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado by Fura Gems has been unveiled in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, Mozambique’s state news agency AIM reported Thursday.

The rough ruby is believed to be the largest of its kind in the world.

The stone, called Estrela de Fura, meaning Star of Fura in Portuguese, provides the potential to achieve the new world record of being the finest gem-quality ruby ever found with a size of over 50 carats once it goes through the final cutting process, said the report.

The Estrela de Fura ruby, once properly faceted, has “an extraordinary potential to become one of the largest high-quality faceted rubies ever seen,” the report quoted Daniel Nyfeler, the managing director of Gubelin Gem Lab, a renowned institution for testing and identification of colored gemstones, as saying.

According to the report, the ruby will be auctioned in October and could be sold for as much as 100 million U.S. dollars. Two percent of the funds raised will be spent on setting up the Fura Training Academy to help communities in Cabo Delgado access education and technical training.