CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Alexander County, N.C., community famed for its lunker emeralds has yielded a 64-carat gem that experts say is North America’s largest cut emerald.

Gem miner Terry Ledford said the deep-green crystal he dug up in Hiddenite last August was so big it “looked like an empty 7-Up bottle.” About 2 inches square, it weighed 310 carats before being cut. Its hue made it even more desirable.