A day after the Nagaland government ordered an investigation to verify diamond claims found in Wanching village in Nagaland’s Mon district, a team of geologists confirmed on Saturday that the glittering rocks excavated by villagers are not diamonds. It was quartz crystal, district officials said.
A set of photos and video clips showing villagers gathered in large numbers digging a small hill in the village in search of suspected diamonds went viral on social media this week.
It all started after some villagers found several crystals while working in the forest and informed others in the village about the presumption that they were diamonds.
Geologists were not convinced that the small crystals were real diamonds from the get-go, as there were no records of diamonds present in the region.
A professor in the department of geology at Nagaland University said on Friday that the glowing stones were ordinary quartz crystals and were found in different parts of Nagaland.
The team of geologists from the state department of geology and mining, tasked with investigating the claims, had apparently drawn similar conclusions as well.
Although it was initially said that the team would arrive in the village on November 30, as the topic became a hot topic of discussion, the team of experts arrived early, an official said.
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He said the team took samples for analysis Friday night. The team will present its official report next week.
Meanwhile, a member of the village development board, Shijong, said it was good that the geological team had arrived early and shed light on the confusion. When asked if the residents were disappointed with the experts’ finding, he answered negatively.
“Just looking at the shiny stones, for which we don’t have a name, the villagers started calling them diamonds. And some ignorant people circulated pictures of him on social media. When we don’t know what real diamonds are, there is no reason for us to be disappointed, ”Shijong said.
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