The owner claims the stone was given to a distant ancestor as a reward from the High Priest in 1189 and has been passed from generation to generation of the family since.
What makes this sardonyx so unique is it has a tiny Hebrew inscription, which is believed to be an ancient script that dates back to 1000 BC, burned or engraved in the heart of the stone. The letters in the stone appear to be similar to those found on archaeological finds dating from 1300 to 300 BC.
The stone was first discovered in 2000 and was investigated in person by Professor Moshe Sharon, an ancient Hebrew expert at the University of Witwatersrand who described the script as the equivalent to our 'B' and 'K'.
On examining the stone Professor Sharon was baffled to find there are no markings on the stone's surface to suggest it has been cut open to add the letters.
'Due to the clarity of the letters and their fine definition it would be incredible if they are a coincidental natural formation in the stone,' Professor Sharon stated in a notarized report at the time.
'The lack of any apparent sign of interference with the surface makes the existence of the letters inside the stone a real enigma.'
Speaking of his trip in 2000, he said: 'I was unaware that anyone in the late Middle Ages had the technology to cut a hemisphere in such a medium, so I tried to exhaust all other explanations.
'There is no modern or ancient technology known to me by which an artisan could produce the inscription, as it is not cut into the surface of the stone.'
Now an expert who laid eyes on the mysterious gem 16 years ago is calling for a new appraisal in the hope of revealing its true history.
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