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Ironstone’s Crown Jewel is the world’s largest piece of crystalline gold.〔 〕 At 44 pounds troy (16.4 kg), it is substantially larger than the Fricot "Nugget" (13.8 lb troy; 5.15 kg)〔(【引用サイトリンク】 California State Mining and Mineral Museum )〕 and the Whopper (11.7 lb troy; 4.37 kg),〔(【引用サイトリンク】 A Visit to the 16 - 1 Mine )〕 the next two largest specimens. ==History== One form of gold found in California is gold in quartz, which is often hard rock, mined in vertical or horizontal shafts. This contrasts with placer (loose gold, often nuggets), and fine gold that has been recovered by hydraulic mining. The gold specimen was unearthed at the Sonora Mining Co. mine in Jamestown, California on December 24, 1992. Along with other gold-heavy quartz pieces, the gold was first believed to be bits of damaged machinery. A number of days later, the materials were examined and found to be full of gold. The “Crown Jewel” was the largest of the pieces, weighing in at 60 lb troy (22.4 kg). Word of the find first hit the press on December 31, 1992. The find caused the Gold Trust and Reinsurance company of the West Indies to make a $20 million offer for the Sonora Mining Corp. of Toronto, Canada. The National Enquirer even picked up the story. Many of the smaller specimens of crystalline gold were sold at a Tucson, Arizona gem show. In April 1993, the Sonora Mining Corp. offered the gold specimen as a bond to Tuolumne County, California. The County ultimately declined the offer. Among those seeking to buy the specimen was the French government.〔 〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ironstone's Crown Jewel」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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