This article is about the gem known as "Star of India". For other items of the same name, see Star of India (disambiguation).
The Star of India is a 563.35-carat (112.67 g) star sapphire, one of the largest such gems in the world.[1][a] It is almost flawless and is unusual in that it has stars on both sides of the stone. The greyish-blue gem was mined in Sri Lanka[3] and is housed in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
Star of India
The milky quality of the stone is caused by the traces of the mineral rutile, which is also responsible for the star effect, known as asterism. The tiny fibers of the mineral, aligned in a three-fold pattern within the gem, reflect incoming light into the star pattern.[1]
Mineralogist and Tiffany gem expert George Kunz (1856–1932) was commissioned by wealthy financier J. P. Morgan (1837–1913) to acquire an impressive gem collection for an exhibit at the Paris Exposition of 1900; the Star of India was among the stones Kunz procured.[4] The Star of India is a huge blue star sapphire weighing 563.35 carats. It is cut en cabochon. A British Army officer brought it to London, where it was cut by Albert Ramsay around 1905. Morgan donated the Star of India along with the rest of the collection to the American Museum of Natural History. Apart from its Sri Lankan origin, the gem's history prior to its acquisition for this collection is unknown.[3] Kunz wrote in 1913 that the Star of India "has a more or less indefinite historic record of some three centuries".[5]
On October 29, 1964, the famous golf-ball-sized stone was stolen, along with several other gems of note, including the Midnight Star, the DeLong Star Ruby, and the Eagle Diamond.[3] The thieves unlocked a bathroom window during museum open hours, climbed in that night, and found that the sapphire was the only gem in the collection protected by an alarm—and the battery for that was dead.[6] The stones stolen were valued at more than $400,000. Within two days the culprits were arrested: Jack Roland Murphy (also known as "Murph the Surf"), Allan Kuhn and Roger Clark; however, the gems had already been handed off.[3] In January 1965, in a bid for leniency, Kuhn led authorities to a bus locker in Miami where the uninsured Star of India and some of the other stolen stones were recovered.[7]
^Kunz, George Frederick (1913). The Curious Lore of Precious Stones. J. B. Lippincott Company. p. 107.
^Sofianides, Anna S.; George E. Harlow (1990). Gems and Crystals from the American Museum of Natural History. Simon and Schuster. ISBN0-671-68704-2.
^Sosin, Milt (January 8, 1965). "Star of India Found in Miami Bus Depot". The Miami News. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
December 01, 2023
star, india, this, article, about, known, star, india, other, items, same, name, star, india, disambiguation, star, india, carat, star, sapphire, largest, such, gems, world, almost, flawless, unusual, that, stars, both, sides, stone, greyish, blue, mined, lank. This article is about the gem known as Star of India For other items of the same name see Star of India disambiguation The Star of India is a 563 35 carat 112 67 g star sapphire one of the largest such gems in the world 1 a It is almost flawless and is unusual in that it has stars on both sides of the stone The greyish blue gem was mined in Sri Lanka 3 and is housed in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City Star of IndiaThe milky quality of the stone is caused by the traces of the mineral rutile which is also responsible for the star effect known as asterism The tiny fibers of the mineral aligned in a three fold pattern within the gem reflect incoming light into the star pattern 1 Contents 1 History 2 See also 3 Notes 4 ReferencesHistory editMineralogist and Tiffany gem expert George Kunz 1856 1932 was commissioned by wealthy financier J P Morgan 1837 1913 to acquire an impressive gem collection for an exhibit at the Paris Exposition of 1900 the Star of India was among the stones Kunz procured 4 The Star of India is a huge blue star sapphire weighing 563 35 carats It is cut en cabochon A British Army officer brought it to London where it was cut by Albert Ramsay around 1905 Morgan donated the Star of India along with the rest of the collection to the American Museum of Natural History Apart from its Sri Lankan origin the gem s history prior to its acquisition for this collection is unknown 3 Kunz wrote in 1913 that the Star of India has a more or less indefinite historic record of some three centuries 5 On October 29 1964 the famous golf ball sized stone was stolen along with several other gems of note including the Midnight Star the DeLong Star Ruby and the Eagle Diamond 3 The thieves unlocked a bathroom window during museum open hours climbed in that night and found that the sapphire was the only gem in the collection protected by an alarm and the battery for that was dead 6 The stones stolen were valued at more than 400 000 Within two days the culprits were arrested Jack Roland Murphy also known as Murph the Surf Allan Kuhn and Roger Clark however the gems had already been handed off 3 In January 1965 in a bid for leniency Kuhn led authorities to a bus locker in Miami where the uninsured Star of India and some of the other stolen stones were recovered 7 See also editList of individual gemstones List of sapphires by sizeNotes edit The Star of Adam is believed to be the largest star sapphire at 1 404 49 carats 2 References edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Star of India gem a b Star of India American Museum of Natural History Retrieved 23 October 2012 Sivaramakrishnan P 4 January 2016 World s largest blue star sapphire found in Sri Lanka BBC Retrieved 5 January 2016 a b c d Preston Douglas J 2014 Dinosaurs in the Attic An Excursion into the American Museum of Natural History St Martin s Press pp 210 220 ISBN 978 1 4668 7187 8 Wallace Joseph 10 June 2000 A Gathering of Wonders St Martin s Press pp 101 104 ISBN 978 0 312 27156 5 Kunz George Frederick 1913 The Curious Lore of Precious Stones J B Lippincott Company p 107 Sofianides Anna S George E Harlow 1990 Gems and Crystals from the American Museum of Natural History Simon and Schuster ISBN 0 671 68704 2 Sosin Milt January 8 1965 Star of India Found in Miami Bus Depot The Miami News Retrieved 24 October 2012 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Star of India gem amp oldid 1173421165, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
