All that glisters...


Diamond and gold discoveries are worth a fortune for the finders.

The Petra blue diamond

Not just an ordinary lump of rock Image: Petra Diamonds

Described as an  "exceptional" stone, a 29.6 carat blue diamond has been sold for a staggering $25.6m, making its value $862,780 per carat.  The single stone was sold by mining company Petra Diamonds to South Africa's Golden Yellow Diamonds.

One of four highly valuable diamonds unearthed from the famous Cullinan mine in South Africa, the stone has been described as having extraordinary saturation, tone and clarity. After the transaction, a Petra spokesperson claimed: “This sale result affirms this stone as one of the most important blue diamonds ever recovered.”

Meanwhile a fortune has been unearthed during a more mundane dog walk in the so-called Gold Country in California. A couple walking on their land found a treasure trove of Gold Rush-era coins worth in excess of $10m.

The mainly undamaged gold pieces were minted between 1847 and 1894 and were found inside eight decaying metal cans scattered across one section of the property.

One of the coins, a so-called 1866-S No Motto Double Eagle, is said to be valued alone at $1m.  Most of the coins are likely to appear for sale on Amazon.