Article: Pensioner Discovers That a Stone She Wanted to Throw in the Bin is a Rare Diamond

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Nov 2, 2021Jewelry News

Pensioner Discovers That a Stone She Wanted to Throw in the Bin is a Rare Diamond

A British old lady was shocked to find out that a stone she wanted to throw in the bin is, in fact, a diamond worth 2.8 million dollars.

The woman, a lady in her 70s, had been cleaning her house in Northumberland when she found the precious stone, but she was convinced it was a glass replica.

Nevertheless, since she had other objects she didn't know anything about, she still took the stone, along with other items she had bought at car boot sales over many years, to get it valued. Her surprise was huge when she learned that the gem she considered to be a piece of cheap costume jewelry was worth, in fact, a fortune.

Auctioneer Mark Lane said its true worth had come as a "huge shock".

The Gem Is Being Auctioned Next Month

Mr. Lane, of Featonby's Auctioneers in North Shields, North Tyneside, said: "The lady came in with a bag of jewelry as she just thought she would bring it in as she was passing because she had another appointment in the town."
Pensioner Discovers That a Stone Wanted to Throw in the Bin is a Rare Diamond

Pensioner Discovers That a Stone Wanted to Throw in the Bin is a Rare Diamond

Photo Credit: Featonby's Auctioneers
"It had been in a box along with her wedding band and a number of low-value costume jewelry items. We saw quite a large stone, bigger than a pound coin, and I thought it was a CZ [cubic zirconia]. It sat on my desk for two or three days until I used a diamond tester machine. We then sent it off to our partners in London before it was certified by experts in Antwerp, Belgium, who confirmed it is 34 carat," the auctioneer added, according to BBC.

The expert said the owner of the stone, who wishes to remain anonymous, does not remember where and when she bought it.

"She told us she'd been having a clearout and that it nearly went in the bin before her neighbor suggested bringing her items to us to get valued," Mark Lane said.

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