AnirudhaUnique Diamonds
The stones, workers were pulling out of the mine were amazingly huge, with most of them being the size of golf balls. One of the largest, the workers ever found in the mine was 130.85-carat “Ohlonkho Diamond”, which was sold for a whopping $430,000 at an auction. But that’s not it because there was more.
Party Diamond
There was another diamond, the workers found in the mine which was 342.57-carat which was larger than the “Ohlonkho Diamond.” This huge diamond dubbed “The 26th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.” Russia’s fate was changing rapidly and the country was coming back on track but they didn’t know there was something else waiting for them that would soon shatter the bubble which the country was living in.
The De Beers Co.
After the 1960s, the diamonds were raining which flooded the market. It was De Beers diamond company, the world’s major diamond distributor at that time, were forced by the Russian official to purchase these gems in huge amount in order to deflate the rising prices. De Beers who wasn’t an amateur in the field realized that something was cooking behind their back as they faced lots of difficulties when they wanted to see the Mir Mine.
Getting Suspicious
For almost 6 years, the Russian government stalled the De Beers representatives’ visit to the Mir mine which was getting frustrating for the company. They kept buying the diamonds from the government but there every time their visit request at the Mir mine was disapproved the doubts in their mind grew bigger.
Request Approved
After waiting for nearly 6 years, their request was finally accepted and the representatives from the De Beers Company were ready to pay a visit at the Mir mine but there was a catch, they were allowed to view the mine only for 20 minutes. But as they say, we reap what we sow. Russia would soon meet its fate.
Collapse Of The USSR
The USSR collapsed in 1991 and it was the Japenese mining company, Sakha that took control over the Mir Mine. Sakha company used the mine for their benefit and earned $600 million per year. It was clear that Russia again has lost the battle. The Mir Mine was one lifeline that kept the country alive and now it was gone too.