Complex sentence: As early as the 1st century AD, Pliny the Elder had commented on gemstones from the region, and as of 1985, crystals upwards of 190 carats had been found there, reported to rival in quality the finest crystals of the Muzo mine in Colombia'.
Split into simpler sentences: As early as the 1st century AD, Pliny the Elder had commented on gemstones from the region. As of 1985, crystals upwards of 190 carats had been found there, reported to rival in quality the finest crystals of the Muzo mine in Colombia'.