Light of the Desert

The Light of the Desert is the world’s largest faceted cerussite gem, weighing 898 carat. It is currently part of the collection of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto.

The raw cerussite was discovered in Tsumeb in northern Namibia. It was then acquired by a gem cutter from Arizona, who cut the raw material into the gem on display. Cerussite is extremely fragile and sensitive to temperature changes and vibration; cutting and transport of the gem therefore causes significant problems. After it was cut in Arizona, the gem was placed in a box, then wrapped in a large woolen scarf and a winter vest, and then hand transported to Toronto for display. Cerussite is too fragile to be set in jewelry.