Jagersfontein Mine The site of the Jagersfontein mine, which is close to the city of Bloemfontein, in the Free State, has produced about 9.6 million carats (1,900kg) of diamonds, including 2 of the 10 biggest diamonds ever discovered, About 9.6 million carats (1,900 kg) of jewel-quality diamonds were mined here until it’s closure in May 1971. According to popular legend this is the deepest hole ever excavated by hand, but there are other contenders for this particular crown, as the hand-dug portions of Jagersfontein and Bultfontein, but by 2005 this claim had still not been In May 2004 a submission was made to have Kimberley’s Big Hole recognized as a UNESCO world Heritage Site. When active mining ceased at the mine, it was considered the largest hand-dug excavation in the world. By August 14th, 1914, over 22 million tons of earth had been excavated, yielding 3,000 kilograms (14,504,566 carats) of diamonds. Whilst the earliest diamond finds were all on, or close to the surface, gradually the miners had to dig deeper to find them, which resulted in the famous Big Hole of Kimberley, which eventually reached a depth of 240m. The first Stock Exchange in Africa was built in Kimberley, opening in 1881. Some of the richest people of the era, including Ernest Oppenheimer, Cecil John Rhodes, Alfred Beit, the Barnato brothers and Solly Joel among them, made their fortunes on the diamond fields of Kimberley, before moving on to the gold fields of Johannesburg, The city of Kimberley mushroomed into existence, and grew so rapidly, that on September 2nd, 1882, Kimberley became the first city in the Southern Hemisphere and the second in the world after Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States to install electric street lights. More diamonds were discovered near Colesberg on the farm Vooruitzicht belonging to the De Beers Brothers in 1871.These discoveries sparked a full-scale diamond rush, and soon hopeful diggers had descended on the area from all corners of the world. Shortly after a rough diamond weighing (83.5 carats) was discovered by a Griqua cattle-herder, and subsequently named the Star of South Africa. Then, in the area of Hopetown, a farmer’s son found South Africa’s first diamond. More than 1,000 fortune seekers on Monday flocked to the village of KwaHlathi in South Africas KwaZulu-Natal province in search of what they believed to be diamonds after a discovery of. European investment flowed in by the end of the nineteenth century, it was equivalent to all European investment in the rest of Africa. In 1871, an 83.5 carat diamond was discovered near the town of Kimberley in South Africa, spawning a diamond rush and giving these volcanoes their name. Diamonds were initially identified in 1867 in an area adjoining the confluence of the Vaal and. Kimberley is the capital and largest city of the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, but in 1866 in was just a dusty patch of veld. The discovery of diamonds in 1869 and of gold in 1886 changed the South African economy significantly. Kimberley, 320 miles (510km) south-west of Johannesburg, produced South Africa's first diamond rush, which made the fortune of Cecil John Rhodes among others, and fuelled the country's. Mineral discoveries in the 1860s, the 1870s, and the 1880s had an enormous impact on southern Africa. The sun-bleached ghost town is now a tourist destination and draw for photographers – the striking images a reminder of how changing industries and economies leave their mark on the landscape.Kimberley - South Africa’s Jewel of a City But with the right permit, people are welcome to visit. Today Kolmanskop sits in a restricted zone controlled by the Namdeb Diamond Corporation, a joint venture owned by De Beers and the Namibian government. Workers armed with jam jars would crawl on hands and knees, filling them with diamonds.īut as resources are used up, people move on. In the town’s heyday, the precious stones were so easy to find that they could be picked out of the sand. But 100 years ago it was home to a busy diamond mine. Situated on the southern flank of West Africa’s sprawling Namib Desert, the small town of Kolmanskop has been reclaimed by the sand. Looking at it now, it is hard to believe this ramshackle collection of derelict buildings was once one of the wealthiest communities in the world.
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