Hillsboro Museum home to Guinness World Record-winning tanzanite gem
PORTLAND, Ore. (PORTLAND TRIBUNE) -- Thanks to a gem carving that’s truly a cut above the rest, a Hillsboro-area museum is now home to a Guinness World Record.
On Saturday, March 9, the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals witnessed history marked by L’Heure Bleu — a gem verified as the largest cut tanzanite in the world.
Weighing an impressive 703.4 carats, the blue-violet sculpture was hand-carved by renowned jewelry artist Naomi Sarna. Reflecting Sarna’s upbringing amidst mineral mines, the gem embodies Sarna’s mastery of light and shadow, as well as her inspiration from “sensuous curves and flowing curls.”
L’Heure Bleu’s origin dates back to when Sarna was invited to a Tanzanite mine in Tanzania several years ago, in the pursuit to select a piece of rough to carve for an international competition. As explained by the museum, the Tanzanian government did not allow tanzanite larger than one gram to be exported, forcing Sarna to start carving at the mine to procure a large enough rough piece.
The verification process was no small affair, with expert witnesses Jessie English of J.S. English Appraisals and Madeline Sanders of Oregon Estate Jewelry weighing and examining the gem. With their seal of approval — alongside the verification of a Guinness adjudicator — the gem captured a global accolade.