Hunt for diamonds begins in Vajrakarur

Vajrakarur (Anantapur district): People will swarm a few locations in Anantapur district in search of diamonds at the end of May, particularly after a heavy rain, and will continue till the end of rainy season, extending till October. This is a regular feature every year as the history of finding diamonds dates back to British era. A processing unit was also established locally.

Vajrakarur and adjoining mandals in Anantapur district are rich in Kimberlite rock pipes minerals. More than 100 feet deep well that was used for mining Kimberlite rock for diamonds in those days is now in a defunct state.

Some new locations in the district have given hope to Geological Survey of India and the processing plant at Vajrakarur, which was closed, would be reopened depending on the mineral findings in other places. Minerals with small diamond crystals embedded inside are found in red soils in Vajrakarur, Pamidi and other places. This red soil also has free-floating diamonds, which are found in the top soil.

People coming from different districts as far as Nellore after heavy rains, will stay in local lodges and keep digging searching for diamonds. If they are lucky, they could find them on the top layer of the soil. One Raju, who came from Nellore district, told The Hans India that he came along with friends to try his luck but didn’t find anything precious. He wants to try his luck for some more days.

According to locals, very few people, about 10 to 20 only, found precious stones worth Rs One to Rs two lakh.

Differentiating diamond from a quartz is important. Unless one has the knowledge of precious stones, they are likely to be taken for a ride. Sometimes diamond merchants cheat innocent people and pay less to them.