Star of Artaban

Unlike some other sapphires, it is not transparent and is of a milky blue colour.

It was donated by an anonymous member of the Georgia Mineral Society in the 1941–1943 time period.

[1] The name of the gem is based on the 1895 tale of The Other Wise Man by Henry van Dyke.

The story's hero, Artaban, was a wise man from Persia who set out to join the Biblical Magi in their journey to see the newborn Jesus.

He purchased three great gems, one of which was a sapphire, to present as a gift to the newborn king.

The 287–carat Star of Artaban, housed in the National Museum of Natural History , Washington D.C., is an unusually large blue star sapphire.