Sotheby's to auction record-breaking Paraiba Tourmalines

A matched pair of flawless, unheated Paraiba Tourmalines, known as the ‘Kat Florence Luminas’, is scheduled for live auction at Sotheby’s Hong Kong on September 17, 2026. The gems, fashioned by artist Kat Florence, weigh 71.239 and 72.844 carats, representing a new global record for the largest flawless stones of their kind to reach auction.

The gemstones originated from an 830-carat parent crystal discovered in 2003 by gem hunter Don Kogen in the Mavuco district of Mozambique’s Nampula province. The pair has received high honors from gemological institutions, including an ‘Outstanding’ score from the Swiss laboratory Gübelin and the ‘extremely rare’ Bellerophon Privilege Award from the French lab Bellerophon.

In addition to the tourmalines, the Sotheby’s ‘High Jewelry’ event will also feature a 424.80-carat flawless Tanzanite necklace, which is noted as the largest of its kind to ever go to auction.