French climber finds treasure trove of gems buried on mountain

A treasure box of jewels sat buried for more than half a century on Mont Blanc until this month, when a French climber discovered the gems valued at $332,000.

Agence France-Presse reported the unnamed climber found the metal box containing emeralds, rubies and sapphires by chance and then turned them over to local police, who commended his honesty.

Two devastating plane crashes have left debris and human remains on Mont Blanc: the 1950 Air India crash known as the "Malabar Princess," Catastrophe, which killed 48 passengers, and another Air India flight, the Kangchenjunga, which killed 117 passengers in 1966.

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The words "Made in India," appeared on some of the pouches of jewels, according to AFP, and authorities have contacted Indian police in an attempt to track down the families of those who owned them.

However, AFP reported the climber could be allowed to keep the buried treasure after all if authorities can't find the heirs.

Another, more grisly discovery of jewels is making headlines this week as an American photographer shares photos he took of bedazzled skeletons in Germany. Labelled as the bodies of saints and lavishly decorated in jewels four centuries ago, the skeletons were kept in chapels during the Catholic Church's early efforts to spread Catholicism, according to Wired.