Kaliningrad Amber Mine extracts nugget weighing more than 2 kg - largest in recent years

KALININGRAD. Oct 27 (Interfax) - JSC Kaliningrad Amber Combine (KAC), wholly owned by the Rostec state corporation, has extracted a piece of amber weighing 2.37 kg, the enterprise's press service said.

"This is the largest find since 2021," the press service said.

After passing state examination, the stone will be put up for auction.

The nugget has been named "Record Holder". "The name is associated not only with its large weight but also with a record for amber extraction. This year, the combine plans to extract 700 tonnes of the 'sunstone' for the first time," the company said.

The discovered specimen has a semi-circular shape and an unusually large cleavage. These features suggest that the "Record Holder" was once an even larger piece of amber.

"Presumably, 35-45 million years ago, the stone had a round shape and resembled a loaf of bread. In this form, it was preserved in the thickness of blue clay and lay underground for millions of years in comfortable conditions. After being brought to the surface and exposed to oxygen and sunlight, the organic mineral partially split. The other part of the stone, possibly already having cracks, most likely crumbled into small pieces," the press service quoted the combine's specialist gemologist, Anna Dugina, as saying.

The "Record Holder" is bright yellow inside with slight streaks, Dugina said.

A previous large nugget, "Tiger's Head", weighing 2.7 kg, was extracted in December 2021. It was sold for 1.2 million rubles at an auction.

Some 95% of the world's amber reserves are concentrated on the coast of the Kaliningrad region around the Yantarny settlement. KAC, the region's only commercial amber producer, produced 627 tonnes of the mineral in 2024.