Speaking to the BBC, miner Raju Gound said they had been leasing a mine from the government for more than 10 years in the hope of finding diamonds in the Panna area of the state. “While I was sifting through the rocks, I noticed something that looked like a piece of glass. I lifted it up and looked and saw a faint glow. That’s when I knew I had found a diamond,” he said.
19.22 CARAT, APPROXIMATELY 95 THOUSAND 500 DOLLARS
Stating that he took the diamond he found to the authorities, Gound said that the 19.22-carat diamond was valued at approximately $95,500.
Gound said he will receive his money after his tax share is deducted, and that he plans to use it to pay off his approximately $6,000 debt, build a better home for his family and pay for his children’s education.
HE WILL SHARE IT WITH HIS 19 RELATIVES
Explaining that he will share the money he will earn from the diamond with his 19 relatives with whom he lives, Gound said, “Tomorrow, I will go to the mine again to search for diamonds.”
Panna is known for its wealth of diamond resources, and residents lease mines from the government in the hope of finding gemstones.
Major diamond discoveries are rare in the region. In 2018, a miner found diamonds worth around $179,000 in Panna.
(AA)