The Spencer family held on to it uncut until 1947 when it was bought by Armenian-born jeweller Harry Kazanjian, who took it to his home in Los Angeles.
The so-called "large black crystal," originally weighing 1,156 carats, was found on the Reward Claim in the Rubyvale area in Queensland – part of the Anakie Sapphire Fields, the largest of several sapphire mining areas in Australia. The black star sapphire, which is 733 carats and has 35 diamonds surrounding it, has only had a few owners. This is the first time the gem, the size of a hen's egg or a doorknob, has been on display since 1969. Valued in 2002 at more than $100 million, the Black Star Sapphire of Queensland will be on display at the Royal Ontario Museum starting June 2 as part of the opening and building dedication of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal addition. When Harry Spencer, a sapphire miner, first saw the black rock his young son Roy brought to their home in Queensland, Australia in the 1930s he is said to have remarked – "Oh yes, a large black crystal!" The story goes that he then threw it by the back door and used it as a doorstop.īut this was no ordinary large black crystal – this rock turned out to be one of the largest black star sapphires ever found, coveted by many and eventually worn by such celebrities as singer-actress Cher.
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