An exceedingly rare gem known as a Matryoshka diamond has been unearthed by miners in Russia.
Experts believe it is the first known unique “gem-inside-a-gem” diamond in history. They also estimate the diamond to be around 800 million years old.
The “priceless” jewel weighs just 0.62 carats and is the first diamond of that nature to ever be found.
Inside, a tiny nested diamond moves freely and has an estimated weight of 0.02 carats.
The diamond, named for its resemblance to traditional Russian nesting dolls, was discovered in Yakutia at the Nyurba mining and processing division of Alrosa.
Scientists studied its structure using Raman and infrared spectroscopies, as well as X-ray microtomography. Based on their studies, according to Alrosa, scientists hypothesize that the internal diamond came first and the external one formed during later stages of growth.
The diamond will now be sent to the Gemological Institute of America for futher testing.
