Farm Laborer Unearths $80,000 Diamond in India
November 04, 20
(IDEX Online) - An Indian farm laborer has unearthed a 14.95-carat gem-quality diamond valued at a life-changing $80,000.
Lakhan Yadav was washing gravel in Madhya Pradesh district, an area rich in government-licensed artisanal mines.
The stone will now be auctioned by the local diamond office and Mr Yadav will receive the proceeds, minus a 12.5 per cent tax.
In the same week another farmer, digging at another location, found a 7.44-carat diamond, valued at around $40,000.
Dilip Mistry said he'd been digging on private land for six months as a team of four and would use the money to educate his children.
The local government leases small plots in diamond-rich areas to locals for as little as $3.
Pic shows an earlier find in the same region - Anandilal Kushwaha with the 10.69-carat stone he found in July