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Carmen Lucia Ruby

car·​men lu·​cia ru·​by | ˈkärmən lü-shə rü-bē

noun

A 23.10 carat Ruby, notably the largest faceted Ruby in the National Gem Collection

The Carmen Lucia Ruby is a 23.10 carat large ruby. It is one of the finest large Burmese rubies that has ever been discovered and faceted. It is cut into an oval shape. In addition to its astonishing size, the Carmen Lucia Ruby is so valuable and special because of its homogenous red hue and incredible degree of transparency. This makes the Carmen Lucia Ruby a beautiful stone to behold. The stone was mined in the 1930s in the Mogok region of modern-day Burma. Displayed at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., this incredible precious Burmese ruby was named after the wife of the donor, Dr. Peter Buck. The Carmen Lucia Ruby’s namesake was a woman born in Brazil who later immigrated to the United States and became a U.S. citizen. You can view this beautiful jewel today at the Gem Gallery at the National Museum of Natural History.

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