PARIS — A Maine jeweler says a piece of gemstone he has cut 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.

The rough apatite crystal undergoes pre-forming, the first step in the cutting and polishing process. Photo courtesy of Creaser Jewelers
The rough apatite crystal undergoes pre-forming, the first step in the cutting and 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
After pre-forming the gemstone undergoes the first steps in the polishing process. Photo courtesy of Creaser Jewelers

Creaser speculates the 21.5-carat finished gemstone will end up in a high-end private collection or a museum.

Apatite deposits are found in only a few places on Earth, mostly in Maine, Afghanistan and Brazil. Besides jewelry, the mineral is sometimes also used in fertilizers because it is a source of phosphorus.

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