ATLANTA, June 23, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Containing the world's largest gemstones, the Ophir Collection (http://www.OphirCollection.com), owned by Ophir Collection LLC, has been awarded nine GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® titles.
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=26102
A total of 40 rare and exquisite gemstones are included in the collection, the majority of which are the largest known specimens of their kind in the world.
All gemstones in the collection, with the exception of one, have been certified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the world's foremost authority on diamonds and colored stones.
GIA, and several other leading authorities on gemstone identification, were unable to identify one gemstone in the collection, suggesting that it is a new mineral. The Ophir Collection has named this unknown gemstone, the Ophir Mystique. The Ophir Mystique has the distinction of being both the largest - and possibly the only - specimen of its kind in the world.
Within the collection, some highlights are:
- The world's largest faceted Sapphire: the Ophir Sapphire - An extraordinary blue gemstone, the size of a dinner plate
- The world's largest cut brown Sapphire
- The world's largest cut Tanzanite
All three of these gemstones have been recognized by Guinness World Records.
Several gems in the Ophir Collection are familiar - Sapphire, Tanzanite and Ruby. Numerous gemstones are far more scarce and, according to several leading authorities such as Discovery.com, are listed among the Top 10 World's Rarest and Most Valuable Gems.
There are only a handful of several specimens of the Ophir gems known to exist; one is an extremely scarce Musgravite, described by GIA as a rarity among the rare. The Ophir Collection encompasses the three largest cut Musgravite gemstones in the world.
One of the rarest gems on Earth, as described by GIA, Hibonite is a virtually unknown gemstone; only a few cut specimens are known to exist. The world's largest cut Hibonite, and the world's largest faceted Hibonite, are both part of the Ophir collection.
Within the collection are extremely rare and valuable gemstones such as Grandidierite, Serendibite, Painite, and Jadeite Jade, many of which are among the rarest and most valuable in the world.
A faceted Neptunite is so uncommon that GIA featured the Ophir Neptunite in an article published in 2013. According to GIA, at the time of publication, The Ophir Neptunite is believed to be the first and only faceted Neptunite examined by the renowned laboratory.
The entire collection can be viewed online at OphirCollection.com.
Learn more about the Ophir Collection by following on Twitter @OphirCollection or by visiting the collection on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/theOphirCollection.
The Ophir Collection is currently available for sale to qualified buyers.
The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.
