What Is the Largest Gem in the World?

The largest raw gem ever taken out of the ground is a topaz that weighed 596 pounds — that's 1,380,000 carats!

This huge gem was found in Brazil, but is now in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Although it's the largest gem, it's also a poor quality topaz, so it's rather dull-looking.

The largest gem of true gem quality — which means it's good enough to use in jewelry — is an aquamarine found in Brazil in 1910. This giant gem weighed 229 pounds, which equals 520,000 carats!