A poor Indian farmer has seen his fortunes change in the blink of an eye after he found two diamonds worth almost $50,000 in his field.
Ramnaresh Dubey had been sifting through dirt at a shallow depth for the past six months—and his luck finally paid off with the remarkable find.
The two valuable stones—one weighing an astonishing 8.30 carats—were found in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
Mr. Dubey took the diamonds to be assessed by Indian government officials, who valued them together at $46,841 (£37,261).
Videos show the gleaming diamonds displayed on a tray at the diamond office, with the proud Mr. Dubey looking on.
Officials claimed both of the farmer’s diamonds were off-color, decreasing the market value. The small one weighed a little less than one carat.
The resident of the village called Ramkhiriya in the Panna district had to obtain permission to mine gemstones on his farmland—well worth the paperwork.
He intends to use the proceeds from the diamonds to buy land and open a shop, whilst continuing to mine for more gems.
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Diamond officer Ravi Patel confirmed that the diamonds would be auctioned in an upcoming sale, with a royalty fee of 11.5 percent deducted from profits.
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