Gemstones are minerals or stones that are cut, shaped, faceted, and polished to create beautiful pieces of jewelry. Often, this process decreases the carat-size of the final product substantially. But there are still an impressive few that are breaking the records for their size. 

• The largest cut and polished aquamarine is housed at the National Museum of Natural History and measures in at 14 inches tall, 4 inches across the base. This massive gem weighs in at 10,363-carats or 4.6 pounds!
• The worlds largest blue star sapphire found in Sri Lanka was named the “Star of Adam”, weighing in at 1,404-carats. 
• A 75 pound natural pearl was found near the islands surrounding the Philippines by a fisherman who proceeded to excavate the pearl and keep it under his bed as a good luck charm! You read that right! The Puerto Princessa Pearl is 1 foot wide and 2.2 feet long and could be worth as much as $100 million. The fisherman gifted it to the Puerto Princesa city hall where it is now displayed as a tourist attraction. 
• The Cullinan Diamond is the largest clear cut diamond ever mined. Discovered in South Africa in 1905, the diamond was a hefty 3,106-carats. It was once presented to King Edward VII of England on his birthday, but was then cut and polished into nine different stones, now split between being housed in the Tower of London and owned by Queen Elizabeth II. 
• The American Golden Topaz is the world’s largest yellow topaz, weighing 22,892-carats, or 10 pounds! The gem is featured in the National Museum Of Natural History in Washington, D.C. 

Rare, sparkly and extremely valuable, most of these gems can be viewed by the public! Next time you’re in a museum, head over to the “gemstone” section and you’ll be sure to stumble upon some impressive pieces.