The gemstone, given the moniker “Lion of Merelani,” is scheduled to be showcased at the museum located in Washington D.C., accompanied by a narrative detailing its cutting process.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History will soon display a record-breaking tsavorite called the “Lion of Merelani,” weighing 116.76 carats. This tsavorite is over 100 carats heavier than the museum’s current largest tsavorite and will be featured in the museum’s National Gem Collection.

The gemstone is a rare green grossular garnet found primarily along the border of Kenya and Tanzania. The Lion of Merelani was discovered in Tanzania in 2017 and was transformed into the world’s largest square cushion-cut tsavorite gem with 177 facets by world-renowned gem cutter Victor Tuzlukov.

The museum documented the cutting process and will display an edited video. The Lion of Merelani is the largest precision-cut tsavorite and the largest tsavorite gem ever cut in the United States.