Indian worker's kind of rare diamond promises new hope for future

A rare discovery was made by a worker from India who stumbled upon a valuable stone. He decided to try his luck and leased a small plot of diamond-bearing land from a company to earn a decent income. He found a treasure and, thanks to it, he will pay off his debts and build a bigger house for his 19-member family.

The extraordinary story took place in India. Its hero is Raju Gound from Madhya Pradesh. According to Interia, the man was facing severe financial problems. He decided to try his luck and leased a small plot of diamond-bearing land from a company. He paid approximately £196 for one season of the lease.

With only a shovel and a sieve, Gound searched the land, dedicating long hours to it, both day and night, while continuing his regular work. His persistence paid off. The man managed to find an exceptional diamond. The 19.22-carat diamond was valued at around 8 million rupees, approximately £74,000.

Raju Gound handed the stone over to the government diamond office as customary for diamond finders. Here, it is appraised and sold. The finder receives the proceeds from the sale, though the tax amount reduces it.

For Gound, this is a huge opportunity to handle debts, which are said to be 500,000 rupees (about £4,600). Plans include building a bigger house for his 19-member family. Interestingly, the man announced that he intends to divide the money among all household members.

Raju Gound emphasised that he does not intend to stop with this one diamond. As he stated, the last find only whetted his appetite for more. He is convinced that even larger specimens could be in the ground waiting for him to find them.

Unfortunately, valuable finds are scarce. In an interview with the BBC, Anupam Singh from the diamond office said that the last record-breaking large diamond was found in 2018. It was valued at 15 million rupees (about £140,000). Usually, however, significantly smaller specimens reach the office.