The shining stones, found at Wanching village in Nagaland’s Mon district, which have been confirmed as crystal stones, were purchased by some buyers from Assam at Rs 20,000-Rs 1 lakh.
This was revealed by a four-member team of geologists, sent by the Nagaland geology and mining department, who confirmed that the stones found in the village last week were actually quartz and not diamond.
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The shining stones were earlier presumed to be diamond.
The geologists said buyers from Assam purchased some of the stones after the news of the discovery of the minerals went viral.
Also read: Nagaland’s ‘diamond’ dream shattered, sparkling stones not diamonds
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They wondered why the stones were bought without being verified.
Geologists Abenthung Lotha, Longrikaba, Kenyelo Rengma and David Lhoupenyi were deputed by the directorate of geology and mining on November 27 to investigate the occurrence of the mineral after the news of its finding was circulated on social media.
The team identified the said mineral crystals circulated on social media as quartz crystals which are found abundantly in the sedimentary rocks of Nagaland along veins, fractures and faults.
Also read: Diamond-like stones found in Nagaland’s Mon dist
The gem quality of quartz crystals is determined from its optical and physical properties such as refractive index, colour and hardness.
The geologists told Northeast Now that real diamond cannot be scratched and cut by any other metal other than the diamond itself.
Diamond is transparent and colourless while the stones that were found in Wanching village could be scratched, were brittle and not transparent, they said.
From the preliminary tests, the geologists ensured that the stones were not diamond of any kind.
Regarding the purchase of the crystal stones by buyers from Assam at a rate ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 1 lakh, geologist Lhoupenyi said, “Maybe those were purchased for therapeutic or religious purposes.”
The director of geology and mining S. Manen, in a release, said the mineral crystals found in Wanching village occur in the veins/fractures of sedimentary rocks of Disang-Barail Groups.
It is spread over a shallow depth and may be formed due to silicification of crystals along the fractures of sedimentary rocks formed at few kilometres depth and less than 100 million years.
However, in the case of diamond, crystals are formed in igneous rocks known as kimberlite and lamproites.
They are formed under extremely high pressure and temperature, at a depth ranging from 150km and 250km and older than a billion years, he said.
Mamen clarified that diamond crystals of that size speculated on social media cannot occur or be found in sedimentary rocks, except in rare cases of transportation by natural agents as fine grains or micro-diamonds.