Crossword Genius

I, odd man, replaced precious stone (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

diamond

'precious stone' is the definition.
(diamond is a kind of precious stone)

'i odd man replaced' is the wordplay.
'replaced' indicates anagramming the letters.
'i'+'odd'+'man'='ioddman'
'ioddman' with letters rearranged gives 'DIAMOND'.

(Other definitions for diamond that I've seen before include "Something precious" , "The hard stuff" , "Birthstone for April" , "Gem stone" , "rock hard" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
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