The Legendary Malaga Citrine

The Malaga Citrine is one of the world's largest faceted citrine gemstones in the world. It weighs an astonishing 20,200 carats! Photo was widely circulated as a press photo in 2010.   The Malaga Citrine maintains its importance as one of the world's largest faceted citrine gemstones in the world. Weighing an astonishing 20,200 carats, the oval-cut gemstone possesses exceptional color, clarity, and transparency.  

History of The Malaga Citrine

The gigantic citrine rough emerged from within the Governador Valdares province in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Though discovered in the 1980s, it took nearly three decades for its owners to choose the right experts to cut the stone. (source) In 2009, a team of Brazilian cutters undertook the monumental task. Cutting a gemstone of this size and significance required exceptional courage, as well as technical expertise. Many unknowns presented unique challenges. For one thing, what lie in wait within the stone remained a complete mystery. Every possibility existed that the stone contained ominous cracks or inclusions. The presence of either placed the entire undertaking in great jeopardy. Furthermore, every carat they cut away represented a culturally and geologically significant loss. In order to mitigate these risks and losses, the team of experts took their time studying the stone and developing the necessary tools and techniques to perform the task. First, they built special machinery and tools to accommodate a rough of this size. They also employed innovative techniques to minimize loss and risk of breakage. Taking their time and paying special attention to every aspect of the process, the team ultimately succeeded in producing an exquisite gemstone.  

Programa Royal Collections

Right after its cutting, The Malaga citrine made the news. On June 4, 2010, Fulgencio Alcarez announced the inclusion of the legendary citrine in the Special Exhibition Gems collection of the Programa Royal Collections. At that time, Mr. Alcarez served as the chairman of the Royal Collections Grouping's General Assembly in Valencia, Spain. The Special Exhibition Gems collection belonged to the larger Programa Royal Collections. The Programa Royal Collections devoted itself to the creation and maintenance of cultural heritage exhibitions. In 2010, the organization possessed the world's largest gemstone collection in the world. Divided into three sections, the Programa's gemstone collection comprises nearly 400,000 carats in gemstones, plus a monographic assembly focused on specific gemstones. (source)  

Where is The Malaga Today?

Upon acquiring the massive oval-cut citrine, the General Assembly named the gem The Malaga, after the city they hoped would become its new home. Indeed, in a joint effort between the mayor of Malaga, the Programa, and several commercial entities, Art Natura assumed ownership of the complete gem collection.   As of 2012, press reports state that The Malaga Citrine remained on permanent display in the Art Natura complex. However, although Art Natura launched several advertising campaigns promising permanent exhibition of their gemstone collections, the promised Gem Museum never opened. As of today, I have been unable to ascertain the gemstone's current whereabouts. Art Natura possesses both a website and a Facebook page. However, both appear frozen in time as of 2012. The only remaining searchable website associated with the entity contains legal disclosures about an ongoing lawsuit involving Art Natura, Programa Royal Collections, the City of Malaga, as well as several other commercial entities. The news source, La Opinion de Malaga, calls the decade-long (and still going) legal saga a soap opera. As far as I can tell, the exhibition which included The Malaga citrine never opened for public viewing. This is a story worth telling, but at a later time. In the meantime, check out this gorgeous oval-cut citrine ring featuring a 10-carat stone. ~Angela Magnotti Andrews