We all like to think we have hidden treasures lying around the house that will one day be worth a fortune. But not many could compare to what was found in an elderly woman’s home in southeast Romania.
Decades ago, an unnamed woman discovered a large stone on a stream bed and decided to take it home. Little did she know that the 3.3 kg (7.3 lb) stone was actually an amber nugget.
Amber – A Precious Stone
Amber is a tree resin that has fossilized over millions of years. Due to its relative rarity—only about 100 kg (220 lbs) is found each year—amber can be extremely valuable. It originates mainly from the shores of the Baltic Sea, including countries like Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Poland, Sweden, Germany, and Denmark.
In the Romanian village of Colti, pieces of precious amber can be found embedded in sandstone from the banks of the River Buzau. A form of amber known as rumanite has been mined there since the 1920s, prized for its deep red color.
A Doorstop for Decades
The elderly woman, unaware of the stone’s value, used it as a doorstop for years. Remarkably, even when thieves broke into her home, they overlooked the amber nugget, despite taking a few pieces of gold jewelry.
“In their frantic search for valuables, they overlooked the real treasure that was there before their eyes,” her family told reporters.
Uncovering the Treasure
It wasn’t until the elderly woman passed away in 1991 that a relative, inheriting her home, noticed the unusual stone and wondered if it might have some value. They decided to sell the massive chunk of amber to the Romanian state, which had it appraised by experts at the Museum of History in Krakow, Poland.
Experts valued the amber at around $1 million. The amber, estimated to be between 38 and 70 million years old, is currently one of the biggest intact pieces of the gemstone in the world. It has since been classified as a national treasure and is kept in the Provincial Museum of Buzau.
Daniel Costache, director of the museum, remarked, “Its discovery represents great significance both at a scientific and museum level.”