![]() Meanwhile, the number of people mining the land had dwindled to less than 500, Pillay continued, though significant damage had already been done with an area of around 50 hectares covered in holes of up to one metre, posing a danger to cattle. People in the area had also raised concerns specifically around roads and water during the visit, which officials at the briefing said they would address. Like many areas in South Africa, high levels of unemployment and poverty have left communities living hand to mouth. The event had highlighted the socio-economic challenges faced by local people, he continued. "The value, if any, of the quartz crystals is yet to be established but it must be mentioned that the value of quartz crystals is very low compared to that of diamonds." "The tests conducted conclusively revealed that the stones discovered in the area are not diamonds as some had hoped," he said, adding they were in fact quartz crystals. Provincial executive council member for economic development and tourism, Ravi Pillay, told a media briefing on Sunday he had counted some 3,000 there during a visit to the site, where samples were taken to identify the stones. People from across South Africa travelled to KwaHlathi in the country's eastern KwaZulu-Natal province where villagers had been digging since June 12 after a herder discovered the first stone in an open field and put out the word. Thousands flock to rural South African village in hope of mining diamond only to find quartz crystals.(Reuters) Discover more about South African diamonds and the history of diamonds when you visit our museum based in the Clock Tower, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town.Unidentified stones that lured thousands of fortune seekers to a rural South African village to mine the land with picks and shovels were not diamonds as hoped, officials said on Sunday, but quartz stones with relatively low, if any, value. Visit a South African museum dedicated to the diamond industry. It was immediately apparent to the officials present that this, later known as the Niarchos diamond (426.5ct), was an exceptional find. One of the most exciting moments was early on Sunday, May 22nd, 1954, when a diamond measuring just under 51 mm long, just over 25 mm wide and 19 mm thick unexpectedly appeared on the grease tables at the recovery plant. In the early years of its existence, the Premier Mine produced many large diamonds, including, of course the Cullinan in 1905, and since working was restarted in 1945 the mine has continued to yield some exceptional stones. Production from this new source has not only given the mine its longest life, but one that should enable production to continue for another fifteen years. Working resumed in 1945, but its fourth life really began in 1979 with the opening up of the mine below the Gabbroe sill, a 70-meter geologic intrusion of barren rock which cuts right through the pipe some 400 meters below the surface. By January of 1916 it was working again and production continued up to 1932 when diamond mining operations ceased due to the depressed state of the diamond industry. ![]() The first lasted from the discovery of the diamond pipe just before 1902 – and the formation of the Premier (Transvaal) Diamond Mining Company – until the outbreak of World War I when the mine was shut down and operated on a caretaker basis. In 1888, Rhodes prev Unlike the proverbial cat, one may expect the Premier Mine to enjoy only four lives. In the 1870′s and 1880′s Kimberley, encompassing the mines that produced 95% of the world’s diamonds, was home to great wealth and fierce rivalries, most notably that between Cecil John Rhodes and Barney Barnato, English immigrants who consolidated early 31ft prospects into ever larger holdings and mining companies. ![]() First in yellow earth and below in hard rock called blue ground, later called kimberlite, after the mining town of Kimberley. By 1869, diamonds were found far from any stream or river. The first diamond discoveries in South Africa were alluvial. Over the next few years, South Africa yielded more diamonds than India had in over 2,000 years. The story of diamonds in South Africa begins between December 1866 and February 1867 when 15-year-old Erasmus Jacobs found a transparent rock on his father’s farm, on the south bank of the Orange River. Today South Africa maintains its position as a major diamond producer.ĭiamond Mining | Famous Diamonds | Diamonds Through The Ages As annual world diamond production increased more than tenfold in the following 10 years, a once extremely rare material became accessible to Western society with its growing wealth. The 1867 discovery of diamonds in the Cape Colony, South Africa, radically modified not only the world’s supply of diamonds but also the conception of them. THE HISTORY OF DIAMOND MINING AND DIAMONDS IN SOUTH AFRICA
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