The largest cut blue topaz gemstone ever is going on display at the UK’s National History Museum from October 19. The stone is finally seeing the light of day 30 years after being discovered by an indomitable British adventurer who led a life like the legendary Indiana Jones.
The largest known topaz stone, is held for photographing before it is made available to view at the Natural History Museum in London
The Poland born brave-heart Max Ostro found the rough material of this gemstone in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest during the mid 1980s. He waded through piranha infested rivers and rummaged through mosquito ridden forests hunting for rare gemstones.
Philanthropist Maurice Ostro looks through his Ostro stone, the largest known blue topaz stone, for media at the Natural History Museum in London
The colossal rock is a mind boggling 9,381-carat gem (which is almost two kilograms). It is 10.5 centimetres wide & 15 centimetres long. It remained hidden in the family vault during all these years. Max Ostro died six years ago. Consequently, his son Maurice Ostro, a (British) entrepreneur and philanthropist in his own right decided to give the gemstone on permanent loan to UK’s prestigious National History Museum. The stunning stone is slated to go on show from October 19.
The largest known blue topaz stone, owned by philanthropist Maurice Ostro, is displayed to media at the Natural History Museum in London
Most noteworthy is the fact that the flawless blue gemstone is the largest of its kind in the world. It will deservingly be displayed alongside specimens of the world’s most important mineral collections. Here it will be studied by scientists looking to find new sources of minerals, gemstones and metals.
The largest known blue topaz stone, owned by philanthropist Maurice Ostro, is displayed to media at the Natural History Museum in London
Furthermore, the beautiful chunk of topaz glitters a vivid electric blue in ambient light, a result of industry accepted treatments on the uncut specimen. “What is amazing about this stone is not just its size, its.. its quality, the color, the intensity of the blue and the clarity of the stone are what makes it so exceptionally rare,” said Maurice Ostro, Chairman of Ostro Minerals and son of the man who discovered it.
The largest known blue topaz stone, owned by philanthropist Maurice Ostro, is displayed to media at the Natural History Museum in London
Neither the museum nor Ostro Minerals are willing to put a price tag on the gemstone. But it might be worth millions or probably be priceless.
Mike Rumsey, Senior Curator of the Minerals Collection at the Museum, said, ‘This stone is an excellent example of how humans have crafted beautiful and desirable objects from the natural mineral specimens we find around us, like those that we preserve in the collections at Museum.
“You start off with a rough mineral, which is all kind of interesting and I really like that as a scientist. And then we do things to it, we’ll change it and we will cut it into something and this is really a fantastic example of the way in which we have crafted something out of nature,” he continued. He anticipates that the Ostro stone’s carved out beauty will continue to motivate visitors to gain more knowledge about rock formations.
Sir Michael Dixon, Director of the Natural History Museum, says, ‘We are delighted to be able to display this exquisite blue topaz stone alongside some of nature’s finest mineral examples in this gallery.’
‘Our thanks go to Maurice Ostro for the opportunity to showcase this wonderful stone to millions of people.’
The museum has put additional security for the safety of the blue topaz.
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