A French mountain climber scaling Mont Blanc came upon gems worth approximately $333,000, according to reports in The Guardian and other publications.
The precious stones almost certainly belonged to someone on one of two Air India flights that crashed into the famous mountain in 1950 and 1996, according to the reports. A total of 165 people were killed in those two crashes.
The gems, around 100, were found neatly packed in bags that were marked, “Made in India,” according to The Guardian report. The mountain climber immediately turned the stones over to local French authorities.
At 15,781 feet, Mont Blanc, which borders France and Italy, is the highest mountain in the Alps and the European Union. The summit is ascended by an average 20,000 mountaineer-tourists each year.
A special thank you to independent jewelry designer, Etienne Perret, for altering me to this story.
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