WATCH: Workers digging well in back yard find world's largest sapphire cluster
Published in Weird News
(UPI) Authorities in Sri Lanka said workers in a man's back yard made a stunning discovery -- the world's largest star sapphire cluster.
Local authorities in the Ratnapura area said the stone, known as the Serendipity Sapphire, was found by workers digging a well in the back yard of a man identified only by the surname Gamage.
"The person who was digging the well alerted us about some rare stones. Later, we stumbled upon this huge specimen," Gamage told the BBC.
The cluster weighs in at about 1,124 pounds -- or 2.5 million carats.
Gamage, a gem trader, said some stones that came loose from the cluster were tested and confirmed to be high-quality star sapphires.
Ratnapura translates to "city of gems" in Sinhalese. The city is known as the gem capital of Sri Lanka.
Experts said the cluster could be worth up to $100 million on the international market.
Copyright 2021 by United Press International
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