Miner Cashes In Again

The small-scale miner in Tanzania who sold two of his finds for $3.4 million in June has made another big sale. Saniniu Laizer collected $2 million for a 14-pound Tanzanite stone, the BBC reports. The rare gemstones—which a geologist said could be gone in 20 years—are found in green, red, purple and blue hues. The price goes up as color and clarity improve. Laizer said in June that he'd build a school with some of his windfall; on Monday, the father of 30 said he also plans a health facility for his community in the northern part of the country.

At a ceremony Monday, Laizer told other miners that his experience shows they should do business with the government instead of mining companies. He handled the sale of his first finds the same way, per the Nairobi News. Laizer has a government license, but there's much illegal mining in the region. "Selling to the government means there are no shortcuts... they are transparent," he said. (More Tanzania stories.)