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Juan Arenas

TBC1

A Tanzanian miner who made headlines in June after finding two huge, rare gemstones has done it again. Saniniu Laizer, 52, of the Simanjiro District in Tanzania has discovered a new stone of the rare gem Tanzanite. The first two stones weighed in at 9.2kg (20.3 lbs) and 5.8kg (12.8 lbs), and the third weighs in at 6.3kg (13.9 lbs) — they three of them being among the biggest rough Tanzanite stones ever found (they total 19.3kg, or 42.5 lbs), with all three being found in just two months by the same man.

Laizer found the new stone about a kilometer below ground — around the same depth where he found the other two stones. Tanzanite is one of the rarest, most valuable stones in the world. It is only found in a 14 square kilometer strip of land in northern Tanzania, and one local geologist estimates that its supply may be totally depleted within the next 20 years. The precious stone is highly valued for its hues - it can be green, blue, purple and red. Its value is determined by rarity, with finer color and clarity fetching higher prices.


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