DIGIVESTASI - Borneo is now known as one of the largest coal production centers in Indonesia. However, who would have thought that this island was also famous for producing diamonds. Unfortunately, diamond production in Kalimantan continues to decline due to the massive exploitation that took place during the Dutch colonization.

One Kalimantan resident became a silent witness to the remnants of the island's glory as a diamond field. Quoted from the December 25, 1954 edition of Merdeka Daily, the resident found diamonds by accident while swimming on the banks of the Barito River, Central Kalimantan. What was found was not just an ordinary stone, but diamonds with a value of billions of Rupiah.

According to the Merdeka Daily report, after being analyzed, the diamond had a purity of 30 carats and was estimated to be worth around IDR 500,000. At the time, this was a huge amount. In Indonesia Raja's records on June 9, 1954, it is known that the price of 1 gram of gold was only Rp86, so the diamond was equivalent to 5.8 kilograms of gold or around Rp6 billion if converted to today's value.

“In just a moment, the person who was originally poor, turned into a very rich man,” wrote Merdeka Daily on December 24, 1954.

The phenomenon of citizens suddenly rich due to the discovery of diamonds was not a single case. Harian Merdeka also recorded many similar stories, where residents found diamonds with various carats, ranging from 22 to 50 carats, with a selling value of up to Rp850 thousand. Such stories have even given rise to a new profession in Kalimantan: diamond hunter in the rivers.

The discovery of diamonds in Kalimantan is not surprising, as the island has long been known as a producer of quality diamonds. Portuguese explorer Tome Pires, in his *Suma Oriental*, already highlighted the presence of diamonds in Kalimantan. According to him, many port cities such as Banjar in South Kalimantan and Lawe in West Kalimantan, made diamonds a major export commodity.

In fact, diamonds from Borneo are said to be the best in the world, found nowhere else.

Apart from Pires, British official Thomas Stamford Raffles also noted the same thing in his work *History of Java* (1817). While serving as Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (1811-1816), Raffles witnessed how diamonds were easily found in Kalimantan, both in rivers, foothills, and in lowlands. According to him, the deeper the soil is dug, the better the quality of the diamonds found.

Diamond exploitation in Kalimantan began a long time ago, even in 1738, the Dutch had exported diamonds worth US $ 200 thousand to US $ 300 thousand per year. These diamonds were then used as jewelry for the rich around the world.

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