On a current winter morning in Panna, a diamond mining area in central India, two childhood mates made a discovery that they suppose may change their lives ceaselessly.
Satish Khatik and Sajid Mohammed stumbled upon a big, glistening rock on a plot of land they’d leased simply weeks earlier.
Once they took the stone to town’s official diamond evaluator, they learnt they’d discovered a 15.34-carat gem-quality diamond – one of many most interesting sorts of pure diamonds that exist.
“The estimated market value of the stone is round 5 to 6 million rupees [$55,000 – $66,000; £41,000 – £49,000] and it is going to be auctioned quickly,” Anupam Singh, the diamond evaluator, instructed BBC Hindi.
The federal government holds quarterly auctions, drawing consumers from throughout India and overseas to bid for the diamonds.
“Estimated costs rely upon the greenback charge and benchmarks set by the Rapaport report,” Mr Singh stated. Rapaport is broadly thought to be a number one authority on impartial diamond and jewelry market evaluation.
Mr Khatik and Mr Mohammed say they’re over the moon. “We are able to now get our sisters married,” they stated.
Mr Khatik, 24, who runs a meat store and Mr Mohammed, 23 who sells fruits, come from poor backgrounds and are the youngest sons of their households.
For generations, their households have been making an attempt their luck at discovering diamonds, which is a standard quest among the many district’s residents.
Panna, which is in Madhya Pradesh state, is amongst India’s least developed districts – its residents face poverty, water shortage and unemployment.
But it surely’s additionally house to most of India’s diamond reserves and stays a chief vacation spot for diamond hunters.
India’s diamond reserves are comparatively restricted in contrast with the world’s main producers, however they’re traditionally vital.
Whereas most mines are run by the federal authorities, state authorities lease small plots to locals every year at nominal charges. With few job alternatives within the metropolis, residents hope for a prized discover to enhance their fortunes – however most come up empty-handed.
Mr Mohammed says that his father and grandfather had dug via these plots for many years however found nothing extra that “mud and slivers of quartz”.
His father Nafees says that the “gods have lastly rewarded their arduous work and persistence”.
They leased a plot in the hunt for diamonds partly out of desperation, as their meagre incomes couldn’t preserve tempo with rising family prices – not to mention pay for a marriage, Mr Mohammed instructed the BBC.
Trying to find diamonds isn’t any straightforward activity however the two mates would sift via mounds of grime after work within the evenings, or each time they bought day without work from their day jobs.
Like most locals, they looked for diamonds by hand – digging pits, hauling out soil and rock, washing it via sieves and thoroughly sifting via hundreds of tiny stones as soon as dried.
Ravi Patel, Panna’s district mining officer, stated the 2 mates had been extremely fortunate.
“That they had leased out a plot on 19 November. It is their luck that they discovered a diamond of gem high quality inside a couple of weeks,” he stated.
Although they’ve but to gather the cash, Mr Khatik and Mr Mohammed say they’re hopeful.
“We’re not pondering of shopping for land, increasing our companies or transferring to a much bigger metropolis; not but. For now, we’re targeted on getting our sisters married,” they stated.
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