A pensioner nearly threw out a diamond that is worth around $2.7 million.
The stone that we are talking about was bought at a car boot sale by the woman, 70, who thought that it was worthless.
She was convinced to get it valued by a neighbor where she was given the incredible news.
Mark Lane of the Featonby’s Auctioneers in North Shields said that the woman came off the street into his shop randomly.
Mark added:
She just thought she would bring it in as she was passing. It had been in a box along with her wedding band and a number of low-value costume jewellery items. We saw quite a large stone, bigger than a pound coin, and I thought it was a CZ [cubic zirconia, a synthetic diamond lookalike]. 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 diamond is larger than a £1 coin.
Mark said that it is the biggest diamond that he has seen in the 5 years of running the business.
The woman wanted to remain anonymous.
Talking about the woman and her story about the diamond, Mark said:
She told us she’d been having a clear-out and that it nearly went in the bin before her neighbour suggested bringing her items to us to get valued. The colour, the clarity, the size… to find a 34-carat diamond is off the scale.
Her diamond is now being held at a secure location in Hatton Gardens, London.
The diamond will be placed on auction later this year.