A record-breaking $34.8 million (£28 million) was paid in New York for the largest ruby ever to be sold at auction.
The 55.22-carat gem was referred to as a "once-in-a-lifetime" jewel by Sotheby's, which conducted the auction.
When the original rough stone was discovered last year in a mine in Mozambique, where there are massive ruby deposits in the north of the country, it weighed an astounding 101 carats.
Five carat or larger polished rubies are extremely rare.
The priceless gem is known as "Estrela de Fura," which translates to "Star of Fura" in Portuguese and is named after the mine where it was discovered.
According to the Press Association, Quig Bruning, the head of Sotheby's Jewellery in New York, said he was mesmerized by the stone when he first laid eyes on it.
"It truly deserved the record-breaking price today, as it now joins the ranks of the world's most legendary gemstones, with its unprecedented size, piercing color, and rare degree of optical transparency and clarity. ".
The Montepeuz district in the province of Cabo Delgado, where an Islamist militant insurgency has been raging for the past few years, is home to Fura's Mozambique ruby mine.
Untapped mineral resources abound in Cabo Delgado, one of Mozambique's poorest regions.
The insurgency, which started in 2017, may have been sparked by anger over the scarcity of jobs in the area, according to analysts.
In order to assist the Mozambican army in battling the jihadists, who are infamous for their brutal attacks, regional bloc Sadc troops were stationed in the area in 2021. They now held control over the province's most important towns as a result of their increasing power.
The militants are still known to operate at a low level, but local troops have helped regain control of the towns and the violence has decreased.
According to Sotheby's, Fura is allocating a portion of the money received from the sale of the Estrela de Fura to the establishment of an academy that will offer technical training in the fields of mining, engineering, carpentry, and agriculture.
