The Logan Sapphire is a flawless specimen from Sri Lanka, a cushion-cut stone which possesses a rich deep blue color and is the second largest (blue) sapphire known, weighing 422.99 carats (84.6 g).
Description
The stone, roughly the size of an egg, is one of the world's largest and most famous sapphires. The Logan Sapphire is named after Polly Logan, who donated the gemstone to the Smithsonian Institution in 1960.[1]
The Logan Sapphire is set in a brooch surrounded by 20 round brilliant cut diamonds weighing, in total, 16 carats (3.2 g).[2][3]
History
The sapphire was mined from Sri Lanka.[4] It likely originates from Ratnapura, the "City of Gems".[4][5] One of its early owners was Sir Victor Sassoon, 3rd Baronet of Bombay, a member of the wealthy Sassoon family. According to the Smithsonian Institution, the Sassoons may have acquired the sapphire from an Indian maharaja. Sassoon planned to auction the sapphire in 1941 to raise money for the British war effort during World War II, but the auction did not take place.[6]
In the early 1950s, the American diplotmat M. Robert Guggenheim purchased the sapphire from Sassoon as a Christmas and anniversary present for his wife, Rebecca Pollard Guggenheim.[6] She gifted it to the Smithsonian Institution in December 1960, a year after Robert's death. Rebecca Guggenheim changed her surname to Logan in 1962 after remarrying to John A. Logan, a management consultant, and the sapphire became known as the "Logan Sapphire".[6][7] It was one of several gifts from wealthy donors that came after the Smithsonian's acquisition of the Hope Diamond in 1958; another was the Napoleon Diamond Necklace.[8] Its ownership was transferred to the Smithsonian in April 1971.[6]
As of 2022, the Logan Sapphire is on display in the National Gem Collection of the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.[9]
References
- ^ "Logan Sapphire [G3703]". Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
- ^ The Logan Sapphire Brooch
- ^ Corundum (variety: Sapphire)
- ^ a b Hansen, Robin (2022). Gemstones: A Concise Reference Guide. Princeton University Press. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-691-21448-1. OCLC 1261879655.
- ^ Saul, John M. (2018). "Transparent gemstones and the most recent supercontinent cycle". International Geology Review. 60 (7): 892. doi:10.1080/00206814.2017.1354730.
- ^ a b c d Feather II, Russell C. (2016). "The Royal-Blue Logan Sapphire at the Smithsonian Institution". Rocks & Minerals. 91 (1): 59. doi:10.1080/00357529.2016.1099135.
- ^ "Rebecca P. Logan, 90, Art Patron and Hostess". The New York Times. March 16, 1994. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
- ^ Post, Jeffrey E. (1997). The National Gem Collection. National Museum of Natural History. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-8109-3690-4. OCLC 1036788878.
- ^ "Logan Sapphire". National Museum of Natural History. Archived from the original on May 28, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
External links
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