Childhood friends find $55,000 diamond in India

Two childhood friends in Panna, a renowned diamond-mining district in central India, have discovered a 15.34-carat gem-quality diamond, valued at approximately $55,000–$66,000, in a find that could transform their lives.

Satish Khatik, 24, a meat shop owner, and Sajid Mohammed, 23, a fruit seller, found the diamond on a leased plot of land just weeks after taking it on. When they presented the stone to the city’s official diamond evaluator, Anupam Singh, it was confirmed as one of the finest natural diamonds.

“The diamond is estimated at five to six million rupees and will be auctioned soon,” Singh told BBC Hindi. Government auctions are held quarterly, attracting buyers from across India and abroad, with prices guided by the Rapaport diamond report.

Both young men come from modest backgrounds and are the youngest sons in their families. “We can finally afford to get our sisters married,” they said.

Diamond hunting runs in generations in Panna. Sajid Mohammed noted that his father and grandfather had searched similar plots for decades, usually finding only “dust and slivers of quartz.” His father, Nafees Mohammed, said the discovery was a reward for their perseverance.

Panna, one of India’s least developed districts, faces poverty, water scarcity, and high unemployment, but is home to most of India’s diamond reserves. While most mines are government-operated, locals lease small plots at nominal rates, hoping for a lucky find.

The friends dug pits, washed soil through sieves, and painstakingly sifted through thousands of stones by hand. Ravi Patel, Panna’s district mining officer, said: “They were incredibly fortunate. They leased the plot on November 19 and discovered a gem-quality diamond within weeks.”

Although the money has yet to be received, the friends said their priority remains family needs rather than business expansion or relocation.

Source: BBC