India's Only Industrial Diamond Mine Sells 8,000 carats Online
March 10, 22
(IDEX Online) - India's only industrial diamond mine sold over 8,000 carats in an e-auction, though it did not disclose prices or further details.
There are over 1,000 licensed artisanal mines in the country, but only the state-run Majhgawan mine, in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, is mechanized.
Mining at Majhgawan (pictured) has been stopped several times over the last 50 years because of environmental concerns by the National Wildlife Board.
The mine, estimated to have reserves of 34m carats, belongs to India's state-owned National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) and was operated until 2017 by Rio Tinto.
The 8,337 carats sold were recovered before one such closure in December 2020.