BBC
http://bbc.in/2nw9K60
A Christian pastor has discovered one of the world's largest uncut diamonds in
Sierra Leone's Kono district.
狮子山共和国基督教牧师日前发现世界最大原钻。
The diamond, weighing 709 carats, is now locked up in Sierra Leone's central b
ank in Freetown. It is one of the 20 largest diamonds ever found.
钻石体积达709克拉，现保存在狮子山首都自由城的中央银行内。
Freelance, or artisanal, miners are common in Sierra Leone's diamond-rich area
s, reports the BBC's Umaru Fofana.
狮子山钻石产区有很多个体户来挖钻石。
But there are questions over whether the community will benefit from the gemst
one, he adds.
Pastor Emmanuel Momoh's discovery, which has not yet been valued, is the bigge
st diamond to be found in Sierra Leone since 1972, when the 969-carat Star of
Sierra Leone was dug up.
Africa Live: Updates on this and other African news
One man's search for diamonds
It is also the 13th largest diamond ever to be found, says Mathew Nyaungwa fro
m Rough and Polished diamond analysts.
Mr Nyaungwa adds that it is difficult to estimate a price as it is "quality no
t size [that] determines the value of a diamond". Our correspondent says that
the discovery may have a blemish.
Last May, diamond-mining firm Lucara sold a 813-carat stone for $63m (ꌵ1m) at
a closed auction in London.
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My life as an artisanal miner, Umaru Fofana, BBC Sierra Leone
Workers pan for diamonds in a government controlled diamond mine
Growing up in eastern Sierra Leone, becoming an artisanal miner was the natura
l thing to do.
I dug the river beds for gravel and extracted the muddy earth looking for the
bounty.
The diamond deposits were sometimes so close to the surface that it was common
for people to pick up tiny gemstones that had been loosened by a heavy downpo
ur. I did that once or twice myself.
After writing my school-leaving exams I took to full-scale mining to help pay
for university.
There were three of us in our gang, as a group of miners is known. We worked i
llegally, so we did it in a hurry before security men could catch us.
One day, as I shook the sieve under the water to wash the mud off the stones,
I saw a sparkling object.
I lifted up the sieve and spotted what we had all been looking for. We then fl
ed.
My share of the two-carat diamond paid my university fees.
line
The diamond the pastor discovered was first taken to President Ernest Bai Koro
ma on Wednesday evening before being locked up.
The president "thanked the [local] chief and his people for not smuggling the
diamond out of the country", a statement from the presidency says.
Mr Koroma said that the owners should get "what is due to them" and it should
"benefit the country as a whole", it adds.