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The DeLong Star Ruby, a 100.32-carat (20.064 g) oval cabochon star ruby, was discovered in Burma in the 1930s. It was sold by Martin Ehrmann to Edith Haggin DeLong for US$21,400, who then donated it to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City in 1937.
On October 29, 1964, the DeLong star ruby was one of a number of precious gems stolen in a notorious jewelry heist by Jack Roland Murphy and two accomplices. In January 1965, nine of the stolen gems, including the Star of India and the Midnight Star, were recovered in a bus depot locker; however, the DeLong ruby was not among them. After months of negotiation, the unknown holder of the ruby agreed, through third parties including Dick Pearson, to ransom it for $25,000. The ransom was paid by wealthy Florida businessman John D. MacArthur and he was present on September 2, 1965, when the ruby was recovered at the designated drop off site: a phone booth at a service plaza on the Sunshine State Parkway near Palm Beach, Florida. Months later Dick Pearson was arrested burglarizing a jewelry store in Georgia and was found in possession of $100 bills with serial numbers matching the ransom money. He was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for his involvement in the DeLong Star ruby case.
See also
References
- Sofianides, Anna S.; George E. Harlow (1990). Gems & Crystals from the American Museum of Natural History. New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 52. ISBN 0-671-68704-2.
- David Sears, "How Three Amateur Jewel Thieves Made Off With New York’s Most Precious Gems," Smithsonian, February 25, 2014.
- Preston, Douglas J. (1986). Dinosaurs in the Attic. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 210–218. ISBN 0-312-21098-1.
- "$140,000 RUBY RANSOMED", Chicago Tribune, September 3, 1965, p1
- Meryl Gordon, "The 50th Anniversary of New York’s Most Sensational Jewel Heist," Vanity Fair, October 29, 2014.
External links
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