Sierra Leone

In Sierra Leone, people sift sand day after day for the chance of finding a large diamond.

The rivers have already done half the work. Over a long time, the water has carried away what’s light, and what’s heavy has stayed behind in the sand and gravel, sometimes diamonds too. People dig it up, load it into a sieve and wash away everything but the heaviest grains.

Most sieves turn up nothing. Still, every one is handled as if it could be the one that counts.

In 1972, miners found a diamond of almost 194 grams in the same kind of sand and gravel: the Star of Sierra Leone. It’s one of the largest diamonds ever found lying loose, rather than mined from solid rock.

A single find, among countless grains of sand.