The DeLong Star Ruby, a oval
cabochon star ruby
An asterism () is a star-shaped concentration of reflected or refracted light from a gemstone. Asterisms can appear when a suitable stone is cut ''en cabochon'' i.e. shaped and polished (not faceted).
A gemstone that exhibits this effect is r ...
, 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 C. Wells, Joh ...
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 in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
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 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 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 Intraco ...
.
''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
References
External links
The DeLong Star Ruby100-Carat Delong Star Ruby Recovered Near Palm Beach
Individual rubies
Individual thefts
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