Star of India (gem)
Encyclopedia
The Star of India is a 563.35 carat (112.67 g) star sapphire
, one of the largest such gems in the world. (The Black Star of Queensland
is believed to be the largest star sapphire at 733 carats.) It is almost flawless and unusual in that it has stars on both sides of the stone. The greyish blue gem was mined in Sri Lanka
and is now kept in the American Museum of Natural History
in New York City
.
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 the effect of asterism. The tiny fibers of the mineral, aligned in a three-fold pattern within the gem, reflect incoming light into the star pattern.
on Central Park West
in Manhattan
. On October 29, 1964, the famous golf-ball-sized stone was stolen, along with several other stones, including the Eagle Diamond
and the de Long Ruby
. 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. So they raked up the stones and fled the same way they came in. The stones were valued at more than $400,000. Within two days, the notorious cat burglar, smuggler, and one-time surfing champion, Jack Murphy (also known as "Murph the Surf"), was arrested along with two accomplices, later receiving a three-year sentence. Some months later, the uninsured Star of India was recovered in a locker in a Miami bus station. While most of the other gems were also found, the Eagle Diamond
was never seen again.
Sapphire
Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...
, one of the largest such gems in the world. (The Black Star of Queensland
Black Star of Queensland
Black Star of Queensland is a gem. It is the world's largest star sapphire. It was discovered in Australia in the 1930s.The gem has been involved in several ownership disputes....
is believed to be the largest star sapphire at 733 carats.) It is almost flawless and unusual in that it has stars on both sides of the stone. The greyish blue gem was mined in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and is now kept in the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
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 the effect of asterism. The tiny fibers of the mineral, aligned in a three-fold pattern within the gem, reflect incoming light into the star pattern.
History
In 1900, wealthy financier J.P. Morgan donated the Star of India to the American Museum of Natural HistoryAmerican Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
on Central Park West
Central Park West
Central Park West is an avenue that runs north-south in the New York City borough of Manhattan, in the United States....
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. On October 29, 1964, the famous golf-ball-sized stone was stolen, along with several other stones, including the Eagle Diamond
Eagle Diamond
The Eagle Diamond was discovered in Eagle, Wisconsin in 1876 by a man named Charles Wood while he was digging a well. The land in which he was digging was not his own; it belonged, rather, to Thomas Deveraux, and Charles and his wife Clarissa were merely renters...
and the de Long Ruby
DeLong Star Ruby
The DeLong Star Ruby, a oval cabochon star ruby, was discovered in Burma in the early twentieth century. It was sold by Martin Ehrmann to Edith Haggin DeLong for US $21,400, who donated it to the American Museum of Natural History in New York in 1937....
. 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. So they raked up the stones and fled the same way they came in. The stones were valued at more than $400,000. Within two days, the notorious cat burglar, smuggler, and one-time surfing champion, Jack Murphy (also known as "Murph the Surf"), was arrested along with two accomplices, later receiving a three-year sentence. Some months later, the uninsured Star of India was recovered in a locker in a Miami bus station. While most of the other gems were also found, the Eagle Diamond
Eagle Diamond
The Eagle Diamond was discovered in Eagle, Wisconsin in 1876 by a man named Charles Wood while he was digging a well. The land in which he was digging was not his own; it belonged, rather, to Thomas Deveraux, and Charles and his wife Clarissa were merely renters...
was never seen again.