India's Monsoon Diamond Rush
June 05, 24
(IDEX Online) - The monsoon season has arrived in India prompting the annual "diamond rush".
Thousands of villagers hope to strike it rich after the rains wash away topsoil in the southern coastal state of Andhra Pradesh, which is known for its diamond deposits.
Farmers struggle to keep diamond hunters from trampling their fields and traders descend on the area in the hope of buying up any valuable finds.
Last week a farmer in the state's Kurnool district unearthed a diamond worth over $36,000, according to an unconfirmed report.
But there is much in the way of rumor, exaggeration and misinformation during the monsoon diamond rush.