The world's largest faceted sapphire rolled into San Diego on Tuesday on a tour of the West Coast.
Accompanied by 39 of its geo-friends and provided for viewing by the Ophir Collection. The collection is on tour for educational purposes and to be displayed.
The collection was put together over two decades by one collector. It has received nine Guinness World Records for largest gems in their respected categories. The largest among them is the Ophir sapphire which is best described as bigger than a dinner plate, weighing in at 31,308 carats. Other rare stones include the Ophir musgravite, one of the most valuable gemstones in the world, is 214 carats, and only 1 of 8 known throughout the world.
The Ophir mystique was unable to be identified by the Gemological Institute of America, which means it is a new unidentified mineral.
An Ophir representative told KPBS both the sapphire and the collection as a whole has been quoted as priceless.
