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Tests Will Tell if Big Stone Is Indeed Gem

Could be world’s largest diamond

By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 31, 2007 8:23 AM CDT

(Newser) – A South African mining company will know soon if they’ve found the world’s largest diamond, with tests scheduled for next week. The light-green stone was found several days ago; experts say it may turn out to only a fluorite crystal, the BBC reports. A spokesman for De Beers, the world' s biggest diamond miner, said a positive result on the gem would make it the stone of the century.

The unnamed and potentially very lucky company is standing by its rock. But critics wonder whether a diamond so massive could even exist—and say the area in a northwest province that yielded the ballyhooed object doesn’t have a rep for yielding jewels.

This photo downloaded Tuesday Aug. 28, 2007 with permission from the Mining Weekely Online Website as sourced from Brett Jolly shows a diamond reportedly twice as big as the Cullinan diamond, placed next to a mobile phone for size perspective, which was found in the North West province, South Africa....
This photo downloaded Tuesday Aug. 28, 2007 with permission from the Mining Weekely Online Website as sourced from Brett Jolly shows a diamond reportedly twice as big as the Cullinan diamond, placed next...   (Associated Press)
Brett Jolly  holds a mobile photo and  an ashtray, to compare the size of diamond, (unseen) reportedly found in the North West province in South Africa during a television interview in Johannesburg, Tuesday, Aug. 28,2007. The validity of the claims of the stone, reportedly twice as big as the...
Brett Jolly holds a mobile photo and an ashtray, to compare the size of diamond, (unseen) reportedly found in the North West province in South Africa during a television interview in Johannesburg, Tuesday,...   (Associated Press)
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