Red spinel crystal weighing over 52kgs found

[diamondcut]

Mined at depth of 10 meters in a farmer''s field in Mahenge, Tanzania, the pyramid shaped crystal weighing over
52kgs was discovered by a group of miners in the alluvial deposit. Mining in the area is normally conducted by loosely organized
syndicates of small miners funded by local entrepreneurs. The discovery almost sparked a riot as hundreds of other diggers moved in
for a piece of the action. After escaping into the bush on a motorcycle, the miner and his motorcycle driver were forced to lay low
without food and water for several days before making their way on to Morogoro, and then to Arusha.

"When the stone finally arrived, the miner''s legs were bloodied from holding the heavy sharp-edged rock on the motorcycle" - noted an observer from Multicolour.com.

The impressive crystal was the vibrant orangey pinkish red color that is considered to be top for spinel. Even though the
yield is expected to be as low as 3%, the sheer size of the rough still translates into several thousand carats of gems worth
several million dollars.
http://www.multicolour.com/spinel/

 

[chrono]

Very impressive sized rock eventhough it looks full of fracture lines. Just reading about what the miner went through gave me shivers and I wonder if I can continue to buy gemstones without giving it second thought.

 

[marcy]

Wow, that is some find. The story of getting it out reminds of the movie "Blood Diamond". What an ordeal. Did you go read the article? One of the stones pictured reminds me of lips - it's an odd shape.