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The Star of Asia is a large, 330 carats (66 g) cabochon-cut star sapphire now in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. It is noted for its significant size and is considered to be one of the largest of its type. Adding to its aesthetic value are its rich blue colour and clear star, formed from three intersecting rutile striations.
The stone was mined in Sri Lanka and was co-owned by the Kohinoor Trading Company and King's Jewelers of Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was brought to the U.S. in 1950 for display at the first United States International Trade Fair in Chicago. By 1958, it was for sale through consignment in London, and was eventually purchased by a Swiss-American named Jack Mason.
In 1961, it was resold to the Smithsonian Institution in exchange for a parcel of small faceted diamonds. The seller, a mineral dealer named Martin Ehrmann acting on behalf of Jack Mason, invented a history for the stone to increase the sale value. He claimed that it had been mined from the Mogok mines of Burma and had at one point been owned by the Maharaja of Jodhpur. This story was repeated by the curators of the Smithsonian for decades,[1] until the true history was discovered through contacting the family of the original owners.[2]
^Post, Jeffrey Edward (2021). The Smithsonian National Gem Collection: Unearthed. Abrams. ISBN9781683359401.
May 07, 2024
star, asia, british, campaign, medal, burma, star, this, article, relies, largely, entirely, single, source, relevant, discussion, found, talk, page, please, help, improve, this, article, introducing, citations, additional, sources, find, sources, news, newspa. For the British campaign medal see Burma Star This article relies largely or entirely on a single source Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources Find sources Star of Asia news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2021 The Star of Asia is a large 330 carats 66 g cabochon cut star sapphire now in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History It is noted for its significant size and is considered to be one of the largest of its type Adding to its aesthetic value are its rich blue colour and clear star formed from three intersecting rutile striations The 330 carat Star of Asia in the National Museum of Natural History Washington D C is an excellent example of a blue star sapphire The stone was mined in Sri Lanka and was co owned by the Kohinoor Trading Company and King s Jewelers of Colombo Sri Lanka It was brought to the U S in 1950 for display at the first United States International Trade Fair in Chicago By 1958 it was for sale through consignment in London and was eventually purchased by a Swiss American named Jack Mason In 1961 it was resold to the Smithsonian Institution in exchange for a parcel of small faceted diamonds The seller a mineral dealer named Martin Ehrmann acting on behalf of Jack Mason invented a history for the stone to increase the sale value He claimed that it had been mined from the Mogok mines of Burma and had at one point been owned by the Maharaja of Jodhpur This story was repeated by the curators of the Smithsonian for decades 1 until the true history was discovered through contacting the family of the original owners 2 See also editThe Star of Adam Star of Artaban Star of Bombay Star of India gem List of individual gemstones List of sapphires by sizeReferences edit Star of Asia Smithsonian Institution Post Jeffrey Edward 2021 The Smithsonian National Gem Collection Unearthed Abrams ISBN 9781683359401 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Star of Asia amp oldid 1190764836, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
