 Western & Eastern Treasures Magazine 10 Best Finds of 1995
#7
Ten-year-old Lawrence Shields might not be a geologist or gemologist, but he knows a neat rock when he sees one! "I just liked the shape of it," he explained - "it" being a 1,061-carat North Carolina sapphire. One of the largest ever found in the state, the mammoth gem could emerge from cutting and polishing with a value even greater than the estimate given here, especially if it "stars." The lucky young rockhound found the blue-black stone while sorting through a $10 bucketful of dirt at the Gold City Gem Mine near Franklin, North Carolina. Although his parents, Larry and Maria Shields, think the discovery should be invested in a college education, Lawrence has something else in mind... a brand-new fishing boat... named Sapphire!
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