Posted on 08/28/2007 4:21:19 PM PDT by blam
'Biggest diamond ever' is found in South Africa
By Sebastien Berger in Johannesburg
Last Updated: 8:48pm BST 28/08/2007
It is either the greatest diamond find in history, or a case of fool's gold.
The diamond claim was met with scepticism
South Africa's diamond industry was surprised by reports that a small mining firm had found a stone estimated at 7,000 carats, twice the size of the Cullinan diamond, the largest ever found.
Gems cut from the 3,106-carat Cullinan, including the Great Star of Africa, became part of the Crown Jewels after it was found in Gauteng Province in 1905.
But the origin of the new discovery is unclear. In the only picture of the stone that has been released, it appears remarkably smooth-sided for a large uncut rough diamond, and has a rare greenish hue.
Brett Jolly, who says he is a shareholder in the unidentified mine in North West Province, where the stone was found, said: "It's green and it's big."
A garage grinder had left it unblemished, he said, and while he admitted it had yet to be examined by a gemologist, he said that would happen within days.
"Everything points to the same thing," he said. "Our guy up there has been in the industry for 25 years. I have the utmost respect for him - if he says it's a diamond, then it is."
Mr Jolly's background is as a property developer in Cape Town, where a timeshare company he founded became embroiled in legal difficulties.
His new group's website is offline, but archived copies show it says it can multiply the value of property tenfold, at no cost to the owner.
The diamond claim, though, was met with scepticism. Neither the South Africa Diamond Board, the industry regulator, nor the Diamond and Jewellery Federation, the trade body, could confirm its existence.
"Oh come on," said a director of one diamond-mining company, "that's staggering."
Tom Tweedy, a spokesman for De Beers, the world's biggest diamond company, said a 7,000-carat gem would be the size of "two fists".
"If it is a diamond, it would be the diamond find of the diamond industry."
http://www.edwardjayepstein.com/diamond/prologue.htm
THE DIAMOND INVENTION
Edward Jay Epstein
Hey, the guy that found this stone could have painted it black, put on a wire handle and smuggled it out as a “LUNCH PAIL”
That dude is getting some tonight — probably tomorrow night too.
I read that recently. A very interesting article.
I say BS judging by the photo. There’s nothing diamond-like about it. No matrix, no greasy luster or characteristic secondary face growth or pits, no internal flaws, and looks like a sawn and polished chunk of glass.
Sure hate to smuggle that one of the mine the typical way!
Seems that that they COULD NOT argue with a real diamond - cut, semi-cut and polished, or “found” in the rock semi - polished.
Biggest diamond ever?
Large, green, smooth sided, unblemished by a garage grinder....kryptonite?
Somewhere around here I have a fractured octohedral looking stone I found in a load of river gravel in the Dominican Republic. It’s sort of taffy colored and glossy. It’s about the size of a tennis ball. I can’t abrade it with a sand wheel, but I can grind it with a diamond wheel; however, it’s not as hard as the diamond I use to shape the sandwheel. Using that on a diamond wheel will just dull the diamond wheel.
BUMP!
They may have entirely different characteristics from the small, mashed, crashed, and broken bits and pieces we are all used to.
Bury it again quick! It’s CARBON!! (gasp)
My purchace bid is in for $1.98.
I wonder how many pounds that that thing weighs?
I want it.
I don’t want it if it’s not real.
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