While cleaning her home and getting rid of unwanted items, a woman—who chose to keep her identity hidden—was about to throw away a seemingly cheap piece of fake jewelry when her neighbour recommended that she get it appraised at a firm.
According to the BBC, the massive stone, which is roughly the size of a $1 coin, belongs to a woman in her 70s who lives in Northern England. The stone’s owner, who prefers to remain unidentified, told the news service that she could not recall where she had acquired it but suspected it was at a flea market. After she dropped it at Lane’s, she had no idea about the value that it carries.
Mark Lane of Featonby’s Auctioneers told the BBC that the lady casually took the diamond to him and was in a hurry since she had another appointment in the town. The lady had brought the diamond in a box that had her wedding band and other low-value costume jewelry items in it.
Lane initially assumed that the stone was relatively unattractive cubic zirconia valued at roughly around $2,700. He even let it rest on his desk for a few days before deciding to put it to the test. When he eventually did, the diamond machine lit up quickly, much to his astonishment. The brilliant-cut gem was subsequently transferred to the HRD Diamond Grading Laboratory in Antwerp, Belgium, where it was verified to be a 34.19-carat color H VS1 diamond valued at $2.7 million.
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The $2.7 million diamond is currently being stored at London’s Hatton Garden jewelry quarter and will go to auction on November 30.
