The DeLong Star Ruby, a oval
cabochon
A cabochon (; ) is a gemstone that has been shaped and polished, as opposed to faceted. The resulting form is usually a convex (rounded) obverse with a flat reverse. Cabochon was the default method of preparing gemstones before gemstone cuttin ...
star ruby, was discovered in
Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
in the 1930s.
It was sold by Martin Ehrmann to Edith Haggin DeLong for , who then donated it to the
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 inter ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in 1937.
On October 29, 1964, the DeLong star ruby was one of a number of precious gems stolen in a notorious jewelry heist by
Jack Roland Murphy and two accomplices. In January 1965, nine of the stolen gems, including the Star of India and the Midnight Star, were recovered in a bus depot locker; however, the DeLong ruby was not among them.
[David Sears]
"How Three Amateur Jewel Thieves Made Off With New York’s Most Precious Gems,"
'' Smithsonian'', February 25, 2014. After months of negotiation, the unknown holder of the ruby agreed, through third parties including Dick Pearson, to ransom it for $25,000. The ransom was paid by wealthy Florida businessman
John D. MacArthur
John Donald MacArthur (March 6, 1897 – January 6, 1978) was an American insurance magnate, real estate investor and philanthropist who established the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, benefactor in the MacArthur Fellowships.
...
and he was present on September 2, 1965, when the ruby was recovered at the designated drop off site: a phone booth at a
service plaza
A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names include motorway serv ...
on the
Sunshine State Parkway near
Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intracoas ...
.
''Chicago Tribune'', September 3, 1965, p1 Months later Dick Pearson was arrested burglarizing a jewelry store in Georgia and was found in possession of $100 bills with serial numbers matching the ransom money. He was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for his involvement in the DeLong Star ruby case.[Meryl Gordon]
"The 50th Anniversary of New York’s Most Sensational Jewel Heist,"
'' Vanity Fair'', October 29, 2014.
See also
* List of individual gemstones
A number of gemstones have gained fame, either because of their size and beauty or because of the people who owned or wore them.
A list of famous gemstones follows.
Alexandrites
* Smithsonian museums' Alexandrite, the largest cut alexandrit ...
References
External links
The DeLong Star Ruby100-Carat Delong Star Ruby Recovered Near Palm Beach
Individual rubies
Individual thefts
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