In a major development, the world's largest sapphire cluster was discovered in a home backyard in Sri Lanka. The stone was dug out in the capital city of Sabaragamuwa Province, Ratnapura. Ratnapura is known as the traditional centre for gem trade. Ever since it was found, the sapphire cluster has been owned by Gamage, a third-generation gem trader. The sapphire cluster has been named "Serendipity Sapphire" by the owner.
It all happened, after the workers stumbled upon the "huge specimen" while they were working to dig a well in the backyard of a resident in Ratnapura city, Gamage told BBC. The gem trader from Sri Lanka took the blue-coloured stone to clean the impurities and polish it. Later, it was momentarily given to the authorities to be analysed and certified. While cleaning and polishing, a small chunk of stones fell apart from the central cluster, Gamage told BBC. The world's largest sapphire is said to be a high-quality star sapphire, confirmed Thilak Weerasinghe, Chairman of the National Gem and Jewellery Authority. Keeping the size and structure in mind, only private collectors and museums could be interested in the stone, he added.