Dar es Salaam - A leading gemstone miner in Tanzania said on Thursday that it has unearthed the world's largest tanzanite stone, a gem weighing about 3kg.

TanzaniteOne said the precious stone was found 270m underground at a mine in Mirelani in Tanzania's northern Manyara region, near Mount Kilimanjaro, and measured 220mm by 80mm by 70mm.

"According to all known records, the piece is so far the world's largest," Ian Harebottle, the company's chief executive said, adding that the stone had been named Mawenzi after the second highest peak on Mount Kilimanjaro.

"No value has been placed yet on Mawenzi, because that needs thorough analysis by experts," he said.
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