In NYC, An Auction That’s Bound to Delight Rock Hounds

Jarvis Wayne Messer found the stones in western North Carolina in 1990. 

Although Messer made his living as a fishing guide in the area, he was a self-described rock hound who made a number of interesting discoveries that ended up in museums across the country. 

When he first found the star rubies, he was lacking the necessary funds to prove the importance of his discovery, so he got a friend to cut the stones into their cabochon shapes to reveal the stars. 

He then enlisted friends to put forward money to have the stones looked at it, giving them a share in the stones and the results from the findings in exchange.

The 139-carat Appalachian Star Ruby

After being examined by a number of gemological labs, including the GIA, the largest of the four, the 139.43-carat Appalachian Star Ruby, went on display at the Natural History Museum in London, where it drew more than 150,000 visitors in just a few weeks, Ettinger said.

Shortly after the exhibit, Messer died and the collection went to his family, with whom it has remained since. A friend of Messer’s, who also was one of the original “investors” in the find, is the one who reached out to the auction house.

Guernsey’s did not provide any pre-sale estimates on the gemstones.

Ettinger said that the Mountain Star Ruby Collection will be offered without a minimum reserve, while about half of the Manuel Marcial de Gomar Collection will be offered without a reserve price.

“These are wonderful and important stones,” he said. “The world will determine what they’re worth.”

Ettinger also noted that a number of experts who have examined the Appalachian Star Ruby throughout its history have compared it to the 138-carat Rosser Reeves Star Ruby, which is one carat smaller and actually has only a five-sided star as one line is broken.

The Rosser Reeves was appraised at $25 million in the early 1980s and about 20 years later at $40 million, according to Guernsey’s.

“By comparing Rosser Reeves to the Appalachian Star, the Appalachian Star, by every account, seems to come out ahead,” he said. “That’s not condemning Rosser Reeves at all; it’s simply saying that may be great, but so is this one. In fact, this one may even be slightly greater.”

Sales of the two family-owned collections will be held live at the Americas Society on Park Avenue in Manhattan, with online bidding held at LiveAuctioneers.com.

Though Guernsey’s has only sold jewelry only once before--a diamond and South Sea pearl necklace and matching earrings worn by the late Princess Diana--the auction house is not unused to holding auctions of rare and valuable items.

Notable past auctions have included a collection covering all eras of the life of John F. Kennedy, the contents of the S.S. United States and, most recently, the complete archives of Rosa Parks.

But within the past 10 days, the auction house has been offered another opportunity to auction off an exceptional mineral piece.

“If this is a new direction for Guernsey’s, I’m thinking of it like a surf board and I’m riding the waves,” Ettinger said.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated on February 14, 2017, to reflect a change in the dates of the auctions made by Guernsey’s.