Category Oxide mineral | Color Black | |
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Black Star of Queensland is a 733-carat (146.6 g) black sapphire, and was the world's largest gem quality star sapphire. The stone was reportedly found by 12-year-old Roy Spencer in the mid-1930s in the Queensland gem fields near Anakie, Queensland. Roy showed the stone to his miner father, Harry, who assumed that it was merely a large black crystal. Not realising the value of the stone with its rough exterior, the family used it as a doorstop in their home for over a decade, until Harry took a closer look and discovered the gem hidden within. The gem has been involved in several ownership disputes.
The Black Star of Queensland was on display during the 1960s at the Smithsonian as part of a display with the Hope Diamond. From 2 June through 2 December 2007, it was on display at the Royal Ontario Museum. The sapphire is now owned by an unknown private party and is not believed to be on public display.
The Star of India at 563.4 carats (112.68 g) is thought to be the largest gem quality blue star sapphire, and is on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.