Rare diamond find in India changes fortunes of local worker

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 takes place in India, and 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 about CAD 320 for one season of the lease.

Equipped with only a shovel and a sieve, Gound searched the land, dedicating long hours to it, both day and night, all the while keeping up with his day job. His persistence paid off. The man managed to find an exceptional diamond. The 19.22-carat diamond was valued at around 8 million rupees, which is approximately CAD 132,000.

Raju Gound handed the stone over to the government diamond office as every diamond finder does. Here, they appraise and sell the diamonds. The finder receives the proceeds from the sale, less the tax amount.

This is a huge opportunity for Gound to settle his debts, which are around 500,000 rupees (about CAD 8,200). Plans include building a bigger house for his 19-member family. Interestingly, he announced that he intends to divide the money among all household members.

Raju Gound emphasized 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 extremely rare. 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 CAD 248,000). Usually, however, significantly smaller specimens reach the office.