Largest topaz of its kind to go on display

by Sarah Manning | September 29, 2016 10:13 am

2ostro-stone-nhm — The 9381-carat Ostro Stone will be on permanent display at London’s Natural History Museum

London’s Natural History Museum will play host to one of the world’s most flawless, large gemstones. The Ostro Stone will be on permanent display in the museum’s minerals gallery.

Max Ostro discovered the 9381-carat stone three decades ago in Brazil, and it has been locked in the family safe ever since. The stone—which is 15 centimetres in length and weighs around two kilograms—radiates a vivid blue colour that is rarely achieved in topaz stones.

The stone was handed to the museum on a long-term loan by Maurice Ostro, Max’s son. “Collecting beautiful coloured gems was my father’s passion,” shares Maurice, “my mission is to leverage his remarkable legacy in a way that would make him proud.”

The Ostro stone was officially unveiled in early October, before its gallery debut. The unveiling also featured three new pieces of ‘wearable art’ using topaz, donated by Ostro through the Outset Contemporary Art Fund.

“This stone is an excellent example of how as humans, we have crafted beautiful and desirable objects from the natural mineral specimens we find around us,” said Mike Rumsey, senior curator of the minerals collection at the Natural History Museum. “It will be on display alongside some of our world leading collection of minerals and gems.”

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