"I almost threw it in the trash": a woman found a gem worth $2.7 million in her home.

A resident of Northumberland (in northeast England) was cleaning her house and stumbled upon a shiny round stone the size of a pound coin. She mistook it for costume jewelry and almost threw it away. However, on the advice of a neighbor, the woman (who preferred to remain anonymous) decided to take it to a jeweler along with other items accumulated over years of going to flea markets.

"A woman came to us with a bag of jewelry; she had some business in town and decided to stop by on her way," recalls Featonby's Auctioneers employee Mark Lane.
"It was a rather large stone, larger than a pound coin, I thought at first it was cubic zirconia, a synthetic diamond double. It had been sitting on my desk for a couple of days before I got a diamond-checking device," the specialist recalls. - Then we sent it to our partners in London and it was certified by experts in Antwerp, who confirmed it was a 34-carat diamond.
The carat measurement is related to the weight of the stone: heavier diamonds have a higher value.

Auctioneer Mark Lane says he was shocked by the gem's appraisal. He says it is the most expensive diamond he has ever held in his hands.

"The color, the clarity, the size ... to find a 34-carat diamond is something out of this world," he added.
According to the specialist, the owner of the diamond doesn't remember where she got the stone.

"She often went to flea markets and bought all sorts of junk. She had no idea it could be a diamond," says Mark Lane.

The gem will be auctioned Nov. 30 in London.