Lucky diamond miner turns 182-carat stone over to Guinea gov

CONAKRY (AFP) - A young miner in the west African state of Guinea who discovered a near-flawless 182 carat diamond this week handed the supersized sparkler over to the government.

For his effort and his honesty, Mamadi Kalo will receive one-half of the value of the diamond. That figure has yet to be estimated.

The diamond - reportedly the size of a computer mouse - was of rare quality, according to sources at the ministry of mines and geology, an assessment shared by a national committee of experts in precious stones.

The diamond, found at a privately-operated mine in Banankoro near Kerouane in eastern Guinea, was deposited Friday at the Guinean central bank in a ceremony presided over by Mines Minister Alpha Mady Soumah.

Soumah lauded Kalo for his "patriotism" in doing the right thing -- namely handing the gargantuan jewel over to the government and not keeping it for himself.

The miner gets half the proceeds and the rest will go to the central bank, Soumah said.

"This discovery is thanks to God, who gave me this chance," said Kalo, who began the hard slog of diamond mining in 1985