On a recent winter morning in Panna, a diamond mining region in central India, two childhood friends made a discovery that they believe could change their lives forever.
Satish Khatik and Sajid Mohammed discovered a large, shiny stone on a piece of land they had rented just a few weeks earlier.
When they took the stone to a diamond appraiser, they learned that they had found a 15.34-carat gem of gem quality, one of the finest varieties of natural diamonds in the world.
“The estimated market price of the stone is around five to six million rupees ($55,000) and it will be auctioned soon,” diamond appraiser Anupam told the BBC’s Hindi Singh.
The government holds quarterly auctions, attracting buyers from all over India and abroad.
“The appraised prices depend on the dollar exchange rate and the benchmarks set in the Rapaport report,” Singh said. Rapaport is a leading authority on independent analysis of the diamond and jewellery market.
Khatik and Mohammed say they are thrilled. “Now we can marry our sisters,” they said.
Khatik, 24, who owns a butcher shop, and Mohammed, 23, who sells fruit, come from poor families and are the youngest sons in their families.
For generations, their families have been trying their luck in search of diamonds, a popular pastime among residents of the neighbourhood. Panna district, located in Madhya Pradesh, is one of the least developed areas of India – its residents face poverty, water shortages and unemployment. But it is also home to most of India’s diamond reserves and remains a prime location for diamond hunters.
India’s diamond reserves are relatively limited compared to the world’s largest producers, but they are historically significant.
Although most of the mines are owned by the federal government, state governments lease small plots to locals each year at a nominal price. Since there are few job opportunities in the town, residents hope for a valuable find that will improve their situation, but most return empty-handed.
Mohammed says his father and grandfather have been digging these sites for decades but have found nothing but “dust and fragments of quartz.”
His father Nafeez says “the gods have finally rewarded their hard work and patience.”
Photo provided by: Amit Rathaur
They rented a plot of land to search for diamonds, partly out of desperation, as their meagre income could not cover the rising household expenses, let alone pay for a wedding, Mohammed told the BBC.
Finding diamonds is no easy task, but the two friends scoured the land every day after work or whenever they had free time. time.
Like most locals, they searched for diamonds by hand – digging holes, excavating soil and stones, washing them through sieves and carefully sifting the thousands of tiny stones after they dried.
Ravi Patel, district mining inspector of Panna, said the two friends were incredibly lucky.
“They leased the site on 19 November. They were lucky enough to find a gem-quality diamond within minutes. week,” he said.
Although they have not yet received the money, Khatik and Mohammed say they are full of hope.
“We are not yet thinking of buying land, expanding our business or moving to a bigger city. For now, we are focusing on getting our sisters married,” they said.