The world’s largest star sapphire cluster was reportedly found by Sri Lankan authorities accidentally in a backyard, reports BBC. This took place at the gem-rich area of Ratnapura while workmen were digging a well in the gem trader’s home. 

According to experts, the pale blue-coloured stone, weighing 510 kgs or 2.5 million carats, is worth close to $100 million in the international market. It has been named the ‘Serendipity Sapphire’. 

“The person who was digging the well alerted us about some rare stones. Later we stumbled upon this huge specimen,” Gamage, the owner of the stone, told the BBC. 

He had stumbled upon the stone a year ago. However, it took the authorities to clean the stone, rid it of impurities and have it ready for analysis and certification. Gamage further claimed that some stones had fallen out of the cluster during the cleaning process, and were later found to be high-quality sapphires. “I have never seen such a large specimen before. This was probably formed around 400 million years ago,” Dr Gamini Zoysa, a renowned gemmologist, told the BBC. 

Experts further emphasised that not all the stones in the cluster might be of high quality, despite the cluster’s high carat value. 

After having suffered through the pandemic-induced loss in the economy of Sri Lanka, the authorities are hoping this gem will bring international buyers to the market 

“It is a special star sapphire specimen, probably the biggest in the world. Given the size and its value, we think it will interest private collectors or museums,” Thilak Weerasinghe, the Chairman of the National Gem and Jewellery Authority of Sri Lanka, said. 

Sri Lanka is popularly known to export high-quality sapphires and other gems, with Ratnapura as the gem capital of the country. The name Ratnapura means city of gems in Sinhalese.