|
The Carolina Emperor, photo by Terry Ledford provided by the AP |
A North Carolina farm has yielded an emerald that may be the biggest ever uncovered in North America,
The Associated Press reports.
|
This Aug 17, 2009, photo provided by Terry Ledford shows the Carolina Emperor emerald prior to cutting, with a U.S. 25-cent coin in the foreground, photo provided by the AP. |
The 65-carat emerald, nicknamed the Carolina Emperor, was cut from a gem pulled from a farm in the rural community of Hiddenite, about 60 miles northwest of Charlotte, the AP reports. Terry Ledford, 53, found the roughly 2-inch-square chunk rimmed with spots of iron a year ago on a 200-acre farm owned by business partner Renn Adams, 90, and his siblings. The rural community of Hiddenite is named for a paler stone that resembles emerald.