This precious rock was used as a doorstop for decades (Credit: Buzău County Museum)

Most people see a doorstop as an everyday object. But for one woman in Romania, it held an extraordinary secret. What she thought was just a simple doorstop turned out to be the largest-known nugget of Rumanite amber, worth over $1 million!

The woman, whose identity remains unknown, discovered the massive 7.7-pound (3.5-kilogram) gem in a stream bed near her village of Colti in southeastern Romania. Unaware of its value, she used it as a doorstop for decades. After her passing, Elena Mușatescu, a relative who inherited her home, took a closer look at the red and black colored stone. She wondered if it was more than an ordinary rock. After all, the area around Coiti was well-known for amber discoveries.

The precious stone is now considered a national treasure in Romania (Credit: Buzău County Museum)

In 1998, Mușatescu contacted Romanian authorities, offering to sell the rock. To verify its authenticity, the officials sent it to the Museum of History in Kraków, Poland. The experts there confirmed that it was indeed amber. They determined the gem was between 38 and 70 million years old and valued it at over $1 million.

The precious artifact was subsequently returned to Romania and declared a national treasure. It was displayed at the Amber Museum in Colti before being moved to the Buzău County Museum. On August 28, 2024, the World Records Academy formally recognized the rock as the "World's Largest Rumanite Amber Nugget."

"The discovery represents a great significance both at a scientific level and at a museum level," said Daniel Costache, the director of the Buzău County Museum.

Rumanite amber is often used to make jewelry (Credit: Buzău County Museum)

Amber is a valuable gemstone formed from fossilized tree resin. This sticky liquid helps trees heal wounds on their branches. Over millions of years, the resin hardens into a shiny, rock-like material.

Romanian amber, known as "rumanite," has been collected along the banks of the Buzău River in southeastern Romania for over a century. This precious stone comes in rich red, black, and brown hues. It is highly sought out by collectors, scientists, and jewelry makers and often sells for tens of thousands of dollars per pound.

Resources: worldrecordacademy.org, Elpais.com