NMDC finds 27.29-carat diamond at Panna mine, its second-largest discovery

State-owned mining company NMDC has unearthed a 27.29-carat gem-quality diamond at its diamond mining project in Panna, Madhya Pradesh, marking one of the biggest finds in the history of the operation.

The diamond was recovered on September 15 and is the second-largest gem-quality diamond produced by NMDC from its Panna mine, according to the company.

The discovery comes less than two months after NMDC reported finding a 13.16-carat gem-quality diamond at the same project in July. The latest stone is more than twice the weight of that earlier discovery.

Diamond to go through valuation process

The 27.29-carat stone will now undergo the prescribed evaluation process to determine its quality, grade and value before it is put through the applicable auction process.

Reports have put its indicative value at around ₹2 crore, although the final price will depend on the diamond’s characteristics and the outcome of the auction.

NMDC’s Panna operation at Majhgawan is its only diamond mining project. The mine has an annual production capacity of 84,000 carats and is the only mechanised diamond mine in the country, according to government information.

Panna remains important to India’s diamond mining

Panna has long been associated with diamond mining and remains an important source of the country’s natural diamond resources. NMDC began exploration and mining activity in the district in the 1960s, with commercial mechanised production at Majhgawan beginning in the early 1970s.

The company extracts diamonds through mining operations as well as processing ore stockpiles. Its processing facilities use technologies including heavy-media separation and X-ray sorting to recover diamonds from the ore.

The latest recovery adds to a series of notable diamond finds from the Panna project and comes as NMDC continues to expand its mining portfolio beyond its core iron ore operations.