Imagine a gemstone so massive it could be mistaken for a boulder. A treasure from the Earth's depths, so extraordinary that it has captivated humans for centuries. In this exploration, we delve into the realm of the largest gemstones ever discovered, uncovering tales of their origins, their impact on human history. There are many types of Gemstones the simplest taxonomies are Precious and Semi-precious.
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| The Golden Jubilee |
The largest precious gemstone ever found, and faceted is The Golden Jubilee Diamond is the largest cut and faceted diamond in the world. It weighs 545.67 carats (109.13 g). It outweighs the Cullinan I by 15.37 carats (3.07 g). The Golden Jubilee Diamond was discovered in the Premier Mine, which is also the origin of the Cullinan diamond (1905) and other notables such as the Taylor–Burton (1966) and the Centenary (1986).
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| The Bahia Emerald |
The largest
gemstone ever found, yet
unfaceted, is the
Bahia Emerald weighing approximately 840lbs (381kg) (containing more than 180,000 carats) originated from Bahia, Brazil and is emerald crystals embedded in host rock.
This massive emerald, found by a farmer named José Artur de Oliveira, measures approximately 1.5 meters in length and 0.45 meters in diameter, embodying a natural wonder that captivates gem enthusiasts and the general public alike. Despite its size, the Bahia Emerald's market value remains complex due to internal flaws and its nature as an aggregate rather than a single crystal, yet its uniqueness renders it priceless in terms of cultural and geological significance. Displayed globally, including at the Smithsonian, it symbolizes Brazil's rich mineral heritage and has become a focal point for discussions on the marvels of Earth's geological processes.
The largest semi-precious gemstone, unfaceted, ever found weighs six tons and measuring 1.6 meters in diameter, "the pearl" as it is called by its owners is the largest ever discovered and is estimated to be worth two billion yuan ($301.197 million); in China pearls are prized more highly than diamonds. The stone, formed mostly of fluorite mineral, glows green in the dark and in China is prized more highly than diamonds. The finders took three years to grind the raw gem down to its pearl shape.
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The El-Dorado Topaz, which weighs a whopping 31,000 carats (13.67 lbs.)
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The largest
semiprecious gemstone, faceted, is the “
El-Dorado Topaz” - the largest faceted topaz and the largest faceted gemstone in the world, The "El-Dorado" rough topaz discovered in 1984, in Minas Gerais, Brazil, weighed an astonishing 37 kg. After cutting and polishing the finished gemstone weighed only 6.2 kg.Thus 30.8 kg of the original rough stone was lost in the cutting process, equivalent to 83% of the original weight of the stone. This enormous loss in weight was mainly due to the poor non gem-quality material that constituted the original rough stone, which had to be removed compulsorily, in order to arrive at a reasonable product with good cut, color and clarity.
For comparison, another notable mention in the world of topaz is the American Golden Topaz, which, while not the largest, is still impressive at 22,892.5 carats (about 4.57850 kilograms or 10.0939 pounds). This topaz, also from Brazil, was cut over two years and features 172 facets, showcasing a brilliant honey-gold color.
Both these topazes highlight the incredible scale and beauty that nature, combined with human craftsmanship, can produce in the realm of gemstones.
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