PARIS — A Maine jeweler says a piece of gemstone he is cutting is the largest of its kind ever found in North America.

The Sun Journal reports Dennis Creaser of Paris, Maine, said the purple apatite gemstone weighed 65.5 carats when it arrived in his store. A Connecticut mineral dealer hired him to cut the gem after obtaining it when a collector in that state died. The apatite came from Pulsifer Quarry in Auburn, Maine, where it was mined.

Additional Photos

Photo courtesy of Creaser Jewelers
Photo courtesy of Creaser Jewelers
After pre-forming the gemstone undergoes the first steps in the polishing process. Photo courtesy of Creaser Jewelers
After pre-forming the gemstone undergoes the first steps in the polishing process. Photo courtesy of Creaser Jewelers

Creaser speculates the gemstone will end up in a high-end private collection or a museum. Apatite is sometimes used in jewelry and is also used in fertilizers because it is a source of phosphorus.

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