A lucky man discovered an ultra-rare 834-carat sapphire after rain and flash flooding removed the topsoil and revealed the glimmering gem.
Matt Betteridge was on an evening walk in the central Queensland Gemfields in Australia when he saw something shiny popping out of the dirt.
According to the gem hunter, his incredible find was located just some one hundred yards from the mining claim he and his family live on.
“The rain unearthed it that little bit … I thought it was going to be an average-sized stone until I couldn’t pull it out,” he said as he recalled finding the giant sapphire the size of a small fist at the Reward fossicking land.
“It seemed very heavy, popped out a nice ball, like a small child’s fist, but very heavy like a lump of lead.”
As any other gem enthusiast who spends hours specking in the sapphire-rich region, Betteridge was not only amazed by his find but also surprised to see such a giant gemstone firsthand.
After having the stone valued, he discovered that it was an 834-carat sapphire worth at least $12,500.
“When you get something … like an 830-carat sapphire, that’s phenomenal,” Helen Levonis, a jewelry valuer of the Gemmological Association of Australia, said of the rare find.
“It could have far more value as the crystal than it will as cut-up pieces of sapphire.”
She added: “These sapphires grew hundreds of thousands of years ago. There are no more coming … and we need to respect that when you see something that’s 800 carat.”
Listening to the advice, Betteridge suggested he’s going to keep the sapphire in one piece and add it to his rare stones collection.
“That’s going in the collection, for now. This is a nice specimen. Won’t be for sale, unfortunately,” he said before opening himself up to good offers saying:
“But then again, everything has a price. You know what they say, money talks. Beautiful. Let’s see what else I can pull from the dirt out here.”
The gem hunter also encouraged other enthusiasts to follow his example and try their luck specking themselves.
“It was found on general fossicking grounds … everyone can have a go. Grab a fossicking ticket and camping permit and try your luck,” he said in an interview with ABC News.
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