‘Fake’ Diamond Found At Flea Market Could Be Worth $2.7 Million
Image via Featonby’s Auctioneers
An anonymous owner who chanced upon an ultra-rare 34-carat diamond had initially thought it was a piece of inexpensive costume jewelry. Turns out, the gem, which is as large as a dollar coin, could fetch up to US$2.7 million at at auction.
The woman, who’s in her late 70s, had chanced upon the stone at a flea market in Northern England. She had been cleaning her home when she rediscovered the purchase, and nearly threw it in the trash before a neighbor told her to get the jewel valued instead.
“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 town. It had been in a box along with her wedding band, and a number of low-value costume jewelry items,” Featonby’s Auctioneers Mark Lane told the BBC.
At first, Lane suspected the stone could’ve been made of cubic zirconia, which would place its value at about US$2,700. A few days passed before he tested the material and found—to everyone’s surprise—that it was an authentic diamond.
It was then sent to the HRD Diamond Grading Laboratory in Belgium, which confirmed it was in fact a 34.19-carat H VS1 diamond.
The gem will be auctioned off on November 30 at Featonby’s The Secret Stone sale. Experts expect the diamond to go for between US$2.2 million and US$2.7 million, as per Robb Report.
“The color, the clarity, the size… to find a 34-carat diamond is off the scale,” Lane remarked.
Take a look at the gem up close here.
Image via Featonby’s Auctioneers
[via Robb Report, images via Featonby’s Auctioneers]
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