Washington: A 5,655-carat emerald crystal weighing 1.1 kg was unearthed by the African nation of Zambia, the largest producer of the green stones.
The stone was unearthed by the concerned authorities in Zambia at the Gemfield mines in Kangem area, reported CNN.
The emerald which is been named as ‘Inkalamu’ means ‘lion’ in the local Zambian Bemba language, is set to be auctioned in Singapore in November this year after it is cut into fine smaller pieces.
The mining authorities in a statement mentioned the stone to be of remarkable clarity along with a “perfectly balanced golden green hue”.
On October 2, the stone was discovered in an open mine by geologist Debapriya Rakshit and emerald miner Richard Kapeta.
Emeralds, which are said to be rarer than diamonds, are mostly mined in Zambia, Colombia, and Brazil.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]