A debt-laden Indian worker has indicated that his family's life has "changed forever" after discovering a diamond weighing 19.22 carats, valued at approximately $100,000. According to a report by CNN, Raju Gond typically earns around $4 a day by taking on any job available to support his large family, such as driving a tractor for wealthier farmers or working in the fields or diamond mines in his state of Madhya Pradesh.
The 40-year-old man and his younger brother Rakesh sometimes pay $9.50 a day to dig for gold on a 64 square meter plot of government land, where he found the precious stone. He mentioned that upon placing his hands on the stone on Wednesday, his heart raced as he cleaned the dirt off it, noting that with each stroke, the stone shone more brightly.
He reported that he and his brother hugged each other and jumped with joy before taking their bike back home to Krishna Kalyanpur to share the news with their family. They then took their mother to the local Panna Diamond office for an evaluation of the stone. Anupam Singh, a certified diamond appraiser, stated, "This is a white diamond weighing 19.22 carats, and it is valued at about $95,500," explaining that the government leases shallow mines to families wishing to search for gemstones under the supervision of local officials.
He added that the government receives 11.5% of the ownership rights for any discovery, plus a small tax, and gives the remaining amount to the person who finds it. Singh clarified that the diamond office will wait until the stone's worth exceeds $360,000 before holding an auction, after which Gond will receive his payment.
