An elderly woman in Romania found a 3.5-kilogram large stone by the river many years ago and brought it home to use as a regular doorstop. It wasn’t until her passing that her relatives, while sorting through her belongings, noticed this “extraordinary” stone. After expert evaluation, it was discovered that the stone is a precious amber with a history dating back at least 38 million years.
The elderly woman lived in the village of Colti in Buzău, southeastern Romania, where she picked up the 3.5-kilogram stone near her home, unknowingly using it as a doorstop for decades. Even jewelry thieves who targeted her home did not recognize its value and did not take it away.
It wasn’t until the woman passed away in 1991 that one of her relatives inherited her property. While going through the woman’s belongings, this relative noticed the stone. Initially dismissed, further examination led to the suspicion that it might be a valuable semi-precious gem. It was then sold to the Romanian government, which subsequently declared it a national treasure.
Romanian authorities then enlisted the help of the History Museums in Krakow, Poland, which has a department specialized in studying semi-precious gems, to authenticate the stone. Polish experts quickly confirmed it as genuine amber, estimating its age to be between 38 to 70 million years.
Since 2022, this 3.5-kilogram national treasure amber has been housed at the Buzău County Museum. It is estimated that the amber is currently valued at up to 1 million euros (approximately 1.1 million dollars).
Recently, the director of the Buzău County Museum, Daniel Costache, confirmed this news to the Spanish newspaper “National”. He explained, “The discovery of this amber has significant scientific and museum collection implications.” He described its value as “immeasurable.”
The expert further noted that this amber is one of the largest-volume ambers discovered to date and the largest among its kind.
Romania is famous for having the world’s richest amber deposits, with Buzău County being one of the regions rich in amber reserves. Geologists have named the amber produced in this region “rumanit”, commonly known as “Buzău amber”. The amber deposits here are renowned for their diverse colors, ranging from transparent to opaque, and from light yellow to deep red.
Additionally, Buzău County is a natural reserve area where amber of superior quality is found. Some of the amber specimens discovered there contain ancient fossil remains such as insects, crustaceans, bird feathers, and animal fur, giving them significant historical value.
Amber is a transparent organic fossil formed by the solidification of resins from plants like pine, fir, and spruce, dropping to the ground millions of years ago and petrifying under pressure and heat. It is also known as a “resin fossil” or “pine resin fossil”. Amber comes in various shapes, often preserving the flow patterns from the resin’s original movement. If the interior contains bubbles, ancient insects, animal or plant debris, it appears even more beautiful.