Curator Selection / 2021 / /

A life for a diamond

Diamonds are thought to have been mined, for the first time in India, along the Krishna and Godavari rivers.
The diamond extraction takes place almost exclusively in Madhya Pradesh, in an area called Bundelkhand. The diamond seekers dig the gravel, discarding the larger stones, wash it and, lying on a smooth background, search with their hands for the small shiny stones. Illegal mining is rampant and the black market for precious stones involves many local populations.
Seekers, also from distant regions, renting the land or working illegally, spend much of their time looking for diamonds