Massive emerald stone worth £2M found in Zambia mine

A massive emerald stone that weighs 1.1 kilograms (2.42 pounds) was found in a mine in Zambia, LiveScience reported on Thursday.

The gemstone estimated to be worth £2 million (nearly $2.6 million) was found by Gemfields, a British mining company, at the Kagem emerald mine and named it "Inkalamu" -- meaning lion in the local Bemba language.

"The firm, which plans to cut it into smaller pieces for auction next month in Singapore, described it as having 'remarkable clarity and a perfectly balanced golden green hue'," LiveScience reported.

Gemfields announced that it will put the stone to auction this month in Singapore and promised to share 10 percent of the sales revenue among two local organizations working for the protection of lions.

The Inkalamu is expected to be divided into hundreds of pieces once sold.

In 2010, a 6,225-carat emerald called the "elephant" was found in Kagem.

The largest emerald yet to be found was in Brazil in the year 2001, the "Bahia", which weighs around 381 kilograms (840 pounds).