Rare Giant Emerald Found in Russia's Ural Mountains

A rare emerald weighing 1.6 kilograms was found in Russia's Sverdlovsk region on Monday, RIA Novosti reported.

According to preliminary estimates, the value of the stone exceeds four million rubles (some 71,600 US dollars). Specialists say that such large emeralds are found once in a decade.

"The stone was spotted and taken to the surface right in time; it preserved its original form," Evgeni Vasilevsky, director of the mine in the Malyshev settlement, said.

The Malyshev mine is the largest emerald mine in Europe and the only one in Russia. It produces up to one and a half kilograms of emeralds every day.