A rare 'purple star sapphire' weighing a whopping 3,563 carats has been discovered in Sri Lanka.
The stunning gemstone has been called the 'Star of the Pure Land' and is believed to be the world's largest natural sapphire of its kind.
As the name suggests, star sapphires are known for their star-like qualities, called asterism.
This optical effect creates a bright star pattern on the surface of the stone.
'This is the largest purple star sapphire of its kind,' said consultant gemologist Ashan Amarasinghe.
'It shows a well-defined asterism. It has six-ray asterism. This is something special from all the other stones,' he added.
While the value of the stone remains unclear, Amarasinghe believes it could be worth at least $300 million.
If this is the case, this would make the Pure Land Star one of the most valuable gemstones ever found.
Star sapphires appear to have a star in the middle due to asterism - an effect caused by tiny, needle-like inclusions of the mineral rutile.
"Ideally, the star in a star sapphire should be perfectly centered when viewed from above, with each ray of equal length," explains The Natural Sapphire Company on its website.
"The rays should be bright, sharp and clearly defined - not blurry or unclear - and they should reach from the top of the cabochon to the base without interruption," it said, among other things.
The gemstone is owned by an unidentified team, who have chosen to remain anonymous for security reasons.
One of the owners said the gemstone was found in a stone pit near the remote Sri Lankan town of Rathnapura, known as the "city of gems," in 2023.
It was purchased along with other gemstones that year, and about two years later, the owners discovered that it was a special stone. They then had it certified by two laboratories.
Amarasinghe said the value of the stone has been estimated at $300 million to $400 million by international appraisers.
This would make the Star of the Pure Land one of the most expensive stones in the world - far ahead of some precious diamonds.
For example, the Oppenheimer Blue - a blue diamond weighing 14.62 carats - sold for $57.5 million in 2016.
Meanwhile, the Williamson Pink Star (11.15 carats) was sold for an impressive $57.7 million in 2022. /Telegraph/
