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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) and the Whopper (11.7 lb troy; 4.37 kg), the next two largest specimens.
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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.
Display
After acquiring the gold-bearing rock, John Kautz, proprietor of Ironstone Vineyards, had the sample etched with acid and most of the rock removed by tweezers. This process took over a year. What resulted is the specimen that has little original rock in the upper part, and more original rock in the bottom part.
To display “Ironstone’s Crown Jewel,” Mr. Kautz had a three-story building constructed at Ironstone Vineyards. The upper story includes a vault to hold the gold specimen along with the Jewelry Shoppe that sells items that include unusual “gold in quartz” jewelry.
California Governor George Deukmejian opened the exhibit at Ironstone Vineyards.
The specimen is available to be seen during normal Jewelry Shoppe hours at no charge.
Name
The name "Ironstone's Crown Jewel" comes from Kautz family usage and promotional materials for the winery. It's the "crown jewel" among the "jewels" of the historic Alhambra Theatre pipe organ, the caverns, the extensive gardens, the historic gold mining equipment, etc.