Boy Visiting Mine Finds Huge Gem in Bucket of Dirt

Lawrence Shields picked through a bucket of dirt at a commercial gem mine and found an interesting rock.

“I just liked the shape of it,” the 10-year-old said.

It turned out to be a 1,061-carat sapphire, one of the state’s biggest.

Experts said it is worth thousands of dollars but that its exact value won’t be determined until it is cut and polished. Lawrence and his parents say they’ve been told it could be worth more than $35,000.