Auction house Sotheby’s will present an exceptional red ruby at its Magnificent Jewel auction on June 8. Evocative and universal in appeal, ruby is an extremely rare and the most desirable stone in high jewelry.
The Burmese rare ruby, weighing 55.22 carats, was quarried from Fura’s ruby mine in Montepuez, Mozambique in July of 2022. Graded Burmese pigeon blood red, the highly coveted color for rubies, the stone was named “Estrela de Fura” which means Star of Fura in Portuguese. Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF) stated that “a natural ruby from Mozambique of this size and quality can be considered very rare and thus an exceptional treasure of nature.” Rich in chromium, the stone gleams with fiery red fluorescence, giving it an inner fire or the star effect that sets the stone apart.
Quig Bruning, Head of Sotheby’s Jewelry, Americas, said, “The miraculous discovery last year of the 101 carat Estrela de FURA at the FURA mine in Mozambique was of immense importance, shocking all those in the jewelry world. Now, in its newly transformed state of 55.22 carats, Estrela de FURA 55.22, is a true wonder of nature and a sensational stone of perfect color and exceptional clarity, combined with a superb cushion shape. It is undoubtedly positioned to become the standard bearer for African rubies – and gemstones in general, bringing global awareness to their ability to be on par with, and even outshine, those from Burma, which have traditionally been the most desirable and recognizable source for rubies.”
With Sotheby’s confident of achieving more than $30 million, the stone is set to break the previous world auction record held by the Sunrise Ruby – a 25.59 carat Burmese ruby which was sold for $30.3 million at Sotheby’s Geneva in 2015.
The stone’s new journey commences at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, from where it will embark on a worldwide tour, with exhibitions scheduled in Taipei, China, Singapore, Geneva and Dubai, before it stars in Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels auction in New York on June 8.
