A Sri Lankan gem trader is selling the world’s largest blue star sapphire.
The egg-shape stone weighs 1,404.49 cts. and has been authenticated as the largest of its kind by the Gemological Institute of Colombo (GIC).
“We can’t put a price on something like this,” Ashan Amarasinghe, a gemologist at the GIC told Agence France-Presse. “It is so rare, and unlike other, smaller sapphires, this is not a stone that can be replaced. This is something only collectors or museums can afford.”
The BBC reports that the seller expects the stone to sell for $175 million at auction; Agence France-Presse puts the price at $300 million.
The stone was found in Sri Lanka’s central region of Ratnapura, according to reports.