The two rough rubies, which have a combined weight of 45 carats, were discovered at the Montepuez mine in Mozambique, Africa, operated by UK-based gemstone producer Gemfields.
Gemfields CEO Ian Harebottle described the gemstones as “remarkable”, adding, “It is extremely rare to find two matching rubies of this size, colour and quality. Their discovery underscores the importance of the Montepuez deposit as a source of some of the highest quality rubies the world has seen in generations.”
Supporting the company’s assertion that the deposit is considered “one of the most significant ruby mining concessions in the world today” is the fact that a number of the rubies recovered from the mine have exhibited the ‘pigeon blood’ colour – said to previously be reserved for rubies found in Burma.
In addition, the site yielded a 40.23-carat rough ruby, dubbed the Rhino Ruby, in November last year, which sold at auction for an undisclosed price.
The matching pair of rubies will also go under the hammer at a Gemfields auction that started today in Singapore. While an estimated selling price for the two gemstones was not provided, it was noted in an official statement that several coloured gemstone sales had broken auction records in recent months.
Among these was a 25.59-carat Burmese ruby that sold for US$30.3 million (AU$39.2 m) in Geneva. This sale set a new world record for the most expensive ruby ever sold at auction at almost US$1.2 million (AU$1.6 m) per carat.
The Gemfields Singapore auction will conclude on Sunday 21 June.
More reading
Coloured diamonds prove to be headline acts
Elvis watch leaves the building for $45K