A mushroom picker in Slovakia has found what is thought to be the country’s largest sapphire.
Ladislav Oravec was searching for mushrooms in an abandoned quarry near the southern Slovakian village of Gemerský Jablonec when he stumbled upon the precious stone embedded in a piece of rock.
Delighted Oravec told local newspaper MY Novohrad: “It was literally glowing.
“It was waiting for me there in the basalt for millions of years… And I only went for mushrooms.”
Mineralogist professor Daniel Ozdín from Comenius University in the capital, Bratislava, who is now studying the gem, told state broadcaster Slovak Television and Radio that it was probably the largest sapphire ever found in Slovakia.
Saying he thought it measured roughly three centimeters, Oravec added that he thought it could be worth as much as €4,000.
After the gem is examined, it will be exhibited in museums. The local village also plans to unveil a plaque commemorating the record sapphire find, MY Novohrad reported.
In 2016, Oravec also found a 1.43cm sapphire in a quarry in the same area.
Delighted Oravec told local newspaper MY Novohrad: “It was literally glowing.
“It was waiting for me there in the basalt for millions of years… And I only went for mushrooms.”
Mineralogist professor Daniel Ozdín from Comenius University in the capital, Bratislava, who is now studying the gem, told state broadcaster Slovak Television and Radio that it was probably the largest sapphire ever found in Slovakia.
Saying he thought it measured roughly three centimeters, Oravec added that he thought it could be worth as much as €4,000.
After the gem is examined, it will be exhibited in museums. The local village also plans to unveil a plaque commemorating the record sapphire find, MY Novohrad reported.
In 2016, Oravec also found a 1.43cm sapphire in a quarry in the same area.
Source: MYNovohrad, The Slovak Spectator, Slovak Television and Radio
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