What are some Famous Blue Sapphires?
What are some recent large sapphires?
What are some historic large sapphires?

What are some Famous Blue Sapphires?

• The Smithsonian Institute has the 423 carat, blue Logan Sapphire from Sri Lanka
• Elizabeth Taylor owns a 20 carat sapphire engagement ring.
• One of the most famous blue sapphires of modern times is the gem that Prince Charles gave to Lady Diana for their engagement.

Another exceptional large sapphire to reach the market in recent years was a 150.467 carat octagonal cut gem of deep blue color and exceptional clarity. It was set surrounded by diamonds and sold at auction in Geneva in November, 1995 for US$3 million.

What are some historic large sapphires?
There are many references to fine quality large sapphires going back several centuries. The Stuart Sapphire (104 carats) dates back to 1214. This fine blue, but flawed, gem passed through the hands of several kings and cardinals before being mounted in Queen Victoria’s State Crown. Eventually replaced by the Star of Africa Diamond, the Stuart Sapphire now rests on the back side of the British Imperial State Crown. It is currently on public display as part of the British Crown Jewels collection at the Tower of London.

In the London Great Exhibition of 1862, a sapphire weighing 260.37 carats was purchased by the Russian Emperor Alexander II and presented to his wife Empress Maria Alexandrovna. This rare treasure was described as "unique…for its combination of size, color, clarity and extraordinary cut". Today, this magnificent piece of history is owned by the State Diamond Fund of the Russian Federation, where it is proudly shown at their museum in Gokhran, Russia.

Other historic sapphires over the 100 carat mark include:

• Catherine the Great’s Sapphire weighing an impressive 337.10 carats;
• Ruspoliz’s Sapphire, also known as the Wooden Spoon Seller’s Sapphire or Great Sapphire of Louis XIV, 135.8 carats; and
• Three gems in the J.P. Morgan collection that weigh 188, 158 and 153 carats.

Several of the world’s famous museums own fine quality sapphires over the 100 carat mark, but many of them are cabochon cut star sapphires as opposed to faceted gems. Between the Smithsonian Institute and New York’s American Museum of Natural History, there are five giant star sapphires ranging from 116 carats up to the 563 carat Star of India, which is thought to originate from Sri Lanka.