[Levin]

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A gemstone, billed as one of the largest gem-quality opals in existence, was sold for $143,750 at auction in Alaska on Sunday.

The opal, dubbed the “Americus Australis,” weighs more than 11,800 carats

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The opal is larger than a brick and is broken into two pieces, which von Brandt said was a practice used decades ago to prove gem quality.

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the stone was discovered in the same field in Australia as the opal known as the “Olympic Australis,” which weighs 17,000 carats


https://apnews.com/article/oddities-busi...df88056e71