£2 million price tag on diamond woman thought was worthless

A 70-year-old woman was clearing out her home in Northumberland when she spotted the diamond and took it to be valued.

The gem is now set to go under the hammer next month after analysis revealed that it is a 34-carat diamond.

Auctioneer Mark Lane admits that the item's true worth had come as a "huge shock".

Lane, from Featherby's Auctioneers in North Shields, told the BBC: "The lady came in with a bag of jewellery as she just thought she would bring it in as she was passing because she had another appointment in the town.

"We saw quite a large stone, bigger than a pound coin, and I thought it was a CZ [cubic zirconia, a synthetic diamond lookalike]. It sat on my desk for two or three days until I used a diamond tester machine.

"We then sent it off to our partners in London before it was certified by experts in Antwerp, Belgium, who confirmed it is 34 carat."

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