Authorities in Sri Lanka have claimed to have found the world's largest stone worth millions of sapphire.
A jeweler said the stone was found by workers digging a well at his home in the mining area of Ratnapura.
Experts say the stone, which is blue in color, has an estimated value of $ 100 million in the international market.
The stone weighs about 510 kilograms or 2.5 million carats and is named "Serendipity Sapphire".
"The man who was digging the well informed us about this unique stone. Later we found this precious stone," Mr. Gamage, the owner of the stone, told the BBC.
He did not want to give his full name or location for security reasons.
Mr. Gamage, a third-generation jeweler dealer, informed the authorities of the discovery, but it took more than a year to clear the stone to remove mud and other debris before analyzing and confirming it.
During the clean-up process, Mr. Gamage said some of the stones came out and were found to be of high-quality sapphire.
Ratnapura, which means the jewel city in Sinhalese, is known as the mining capital of the Southeast Asian country. Other gemstones have been found in the past.
Sri Lanka is a major exporter of other gemstones.
Last year, the country earned nearly half a billion dollars through the sale of gemstones and diamonds
"I have never seen such a large gemstone-like that before. This was probably created about 400 million years ago," Dr. Gamini Zoysa, a prominent geologist, told the BBC.
Experts also say, however, that although the stone has a high karate value, all the stones in it cannot be of the highest quality.
The search comes at a time when the Sri Lankan jewelry industry has suffered losses as a result of the Corona catastrophe.
Those working in the industry hope the "Serendipity Stone" will now attract international buyers and experts - although the stone has not yet been analyzed and certified by independent international experts.
"It's a gem, probably the largest in the world. With its size and value, we think it will attract retailers of gemstones or memorials," Thilak Weerasinghe, chairman of the Sri Lankan Gems Authority, says.
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