Editor’s Note
A record-breaking auction is anticipated as the “Estrela de Fura” ruby, weighing 55.22 carats, heads to auction in Hong Kong with an estimated value of $30 million. This could surpass the current world record for a ruby sold at auction, set in Geneva in 2015.
The “Estrela de Fura” ruby is set to go under the hammer in June, as announced by the auction house Sotheby’s in Hong Kong. Weighing 55.22 carats (eleven grams), this gemstone could become the most expensive ruby ever offered at auction, with an estimated value of 30 million US dollars (approximately 27 million euros).
The current world record is held by a ruby auctioned in Geneva in May 2015 for 30.3 million dollars. Experts anticipate that the “Estrela de Fura” ruby will break this record at its New York auction in June.
The name of the ruby (meaning “Star of Fura”) derives from the mining company Fura, which discovered the gemstone in 2022 in a ruby mine in Mozambique. At the time of excavation, the rough stone weighed 101 carats, causing excitement in the gemstone industry.
The gemstone is currently on display in Hong Kong, after which it will be exhibited in Taipei, China, Singapore, Geneva, and Dubai.
In recent years, an increasing number of rubies from Mozambique have entered the market. Reports speak of both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, taxes paid by mine operators are said to be used for the construction of public buildings.
On the other hand, due to the profits, there are also conflicts in the regions and, in some cases, organized crime, as recently noted by the “Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime” in a report.