Life of Driver Changed After Finding White Diamond Worth PHP 5.6 Million
WHITE DIAMOND – In an instant, the life of driver Raju Gond changed forever after discovering a white diamond weighing 19.22 carats and estimated to be worth $100,000 or PHP 5.8 million.
Raju, 40, lives in Madhya Pradesh, Central India, with three families under one roof. Besides working as a tractor driver, he also mines for gold and diamonds. He usually earns $4 or around PHP 200 a day, which is not enough to cover the $9.50 or PHP 550 fee to mine on a 64-square-meter government-owned land. Despite the low earnings, finding the diamond was a major stroke of luck.
On July 24, 2024, Raju found the diamond and immediately recognized its value. “It shone spectacularly. I knew it was a diamond right then!” he told CNN. He and his siblings celebrated joyfully and rushed home with their mother to have the stone officially examined at the local Panna Diamond Office by Anupam Singh.
Anupam confirmed that the diamond is a 19.22-carat white diamond, worth approximately $95,500 or PHP 5.6 million. He added that Panna, their town, is known for its diamonds, with notable finds in the past such as a 54.55-carat diamond in 1961 and a 42-carat diamond in 2018.
In their region, the government rents out land for mining and takes an 11.5 percent royalty and a small tax from diamond finds. This year, there have been several smaller diamonds found, but Raju’s find is particularly valuable.
Raju is thankful for the recent rainy season, which, while causing job losses for many, led him to try mining and eventually find the diamond. He has opened a bank account and plans to use the money to pay off his family’s debt of $6,000 (PHP 350,000), build a house, buy land, and fund his children’s education. Meanwhile, Raju and his family continue mining, hoping to find more diamonds.
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