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By Gavin Clarke Reviewed By Andreas Zabczyk May 14, 2008 Updated Jan 24, 2019

World's Biggest Gemstones - Largest Gemstones

Golden Jubilee Diamond

Speak about gems, jewels, or precious stones and the image created in many people's minds is some alluring treasure within the Earth's crust, sparkling with rich colors and just waiting to be found. The idea of finding a large valuable gem has been a driving force for men throughout history; time and again people have left their homes and traveled to the far corners of the Earth, following rumors of untold riches that can be claimed. For most, the dream remains beyond reach, but for a lucky few, a one-time find has led to instant wealth.

The world's biggest diamond depends upon your definition of 'world'. In fact the biggest diamond ever discovered was found floating in space at the core of a dead star. It is 2,500 miles wide and weighs 10 million trillion trillion carats, but at a distance of 50 light years from the Earth, it may be a little inaccessible to count for our purposes.

125West Ruby

The record on Earth is held by a stone found by a mining company in August 2007 in a North West province of South Africa. Before that, the Cullinan, which was found near Pretoria in 1905, was the largest cut diamond in the world at 530.20 carats, until it lost the record in 1985 to the Golden Jubilee. This was found in the same mine as the Cullinan and weighed 545.67 carats. The latest record holder, still to be verified, is said to be more than twice that size.

Considerable controversy seems to surround the question of the world's largest ruby. One of the most famous is the Rajaratna Ruby, which weighs 2,475 carats and was unveiled to the world at the end of 1986. Its owner, Mr. G. Vidyaraj of Bangalore, India, inherited the stone from his ancestors, the kings of the Empire of Vijayanagar. Since then, the 125West Ruby, which is certified by the Gemology Institute of America and weighs 8.2 pounds or 18,696 carats, has claimed the prize, as has another stone from Myanmar reported to weigh an astonishing 21,450 carats.

Additionally, then there is the Chaiyo Ruby, which weighs 109,000 carats but is veiled in mystery and scandal. Not only have there been bitter battles regarding its ownership, but there is also some doubt that it is even genuine with some claiming that it is a fake, multi-colored stone that was manufactured by the Burmese.

Pearl of Lao Tzu

Some claim that the biggest uncut emerald ever found was discovered in Carnaiba, Brazil in 1974. It was an amazing 86,136 carat natural beryl crystal and was valued at $1,120,080 USD. However, in 2005, it was reported that miners in Madagascar dug up a gem weighing 1,182 pounds which has also been feted as the world's largest emerald.

Of less contention is the largest known pearl which was found by a Filipino diver off the island of Palawan in 1934. It was first called the Pearl of Allah but is now officially known as the Pearl of Lao Tzu. It measures 9.5 by 5.5 inches, weighs 14 pounds and has an estimated worth of $40 million USD.

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