The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-03-04
DIAMONDS!
Where They Are Found, How
They Are Mined, and Why
They Are Increasing in Value.

The man who has put his money in
| to diamonds has made a wise invest
| ment. That diamonds have advanced
| in price during the past few years, is
| a fact; but they will go still higher.
| The reason for this is obvious: It is
not because they are being stored and
| the price forced up for the benefit of
a few: but it is because they are not
| being found in such quantities as in
the past, and because lin spite of the
| advance in price, the demand is steadi-
| ly increasing.
This is positive proof that the Amer
lean people do not believe in the the
DRY that the syndicate is putting
away a reserve stock and circulating
false reports as to the output of the
mines. This idea is an erroneous one,
and it is known for a positive fact
that such is not the case.
While the price of diamonds today
is considered high; they are not nearly
so expensive as forty years ago, and
considering the advancement made in
cutting-which gives a greater bril-
liancy, thereby making a more beau
tiful stone-the price today is very
reasonable compared to forty or fifty
years ago.
Everyone is interested in diamonds,
whether they possess one or not, and
the following may be of interest to
you.
Until 1928 all the diamonds came from
India; in that year the Portuguese dis
covered them in Brazil and soon the
output of Brazil equaled that of India.
Judging by the standards of today,
however, the output was exceedingly
small and up to forty years ago polish
ed stones of one karat or over cost
far more than they do today, although
the cutting was inferior.
In the spring of 1868 child found a
bright pebble on the banks of the
Orange river in South Africa. This
pebble. after many wanderings, came
to the notice of mineralogist who
pronounced it diamond. Immediate
ly there was a rush for the Orange
river country, and people fairly swarm
ed into the Orange and Vaal river val
legs. Prospectors roamed over the
country, and three years after, in the
district where the City of Kimberly
now stands, diamonds were found in
quantities and four mines located.
These mines are huge pipes running
down into the ground for more than
thousand feet, and are the craters
of extinct volcanoes, and filled with
lava or "blue ground in which is
found the diamond.
These four mines. the Kimberly"
do Beers" 'Dutoitspan" and Bull
foniein.'' with another mine called the
"Jsegersfontein" which is about eighty
miles away. furnish s5 per cent of all
the diamonds found in the world until
1890, when the "Wesselton" mine was
disc overed situated near Kimberly.
Tt csc six mines were practically the
tity until 1902. when the Premier"
mine was found, near Pretoria.
The first mining in Kimberly district
consisted of digging out the blue
ground with pickax pulverizing it
and sorting out the diamonds, every
man for himself.
AS the workings grew in depth, the
sides caved in, and claims near the
edge of the mine became covered with
work several or more claims. and these
companies were consolidated in 1889 in
to one company called the DE Beers
Consolidated Mines by Cecil j.
Rhodes. who with three others, Bar |
nett I. Baranato. Alfred Belt. and s. |
f. P Slow. acquired net only the con
troll, but the actual ownership of this |
entire property, which at that time |
was valued at about 100000, coo. Mr.. |
Rhodes ran the company until his |
death. when Alfred Belt took charge |
and is now at the head of the COM |
pany.
The only diamond mine outside of |
the De Beers Company, worth men |
tioning is the Premier mine near !
Pretoria, where a few months ago the !
largest diamond ever found was dis |
covered weighing 3,025 karats (about |
l 12 pounds.
This mine located in 1902. is an indie
PENDENT company, and produces 10 900 |
20 So,OCo karats per month of inferior |
diamonds, mostly small: they have a
selling value of about one-half as much
per karat as the DE Beers" stones.
The way the mining is conducted to-
day is to hoist cars. filled with blue
ground. TO the surface Che mines are
from 1000 TO 1900 feet deep: these cars
run on rails to the floors"
The ''hours" are huge enclosed pens.
rooted with wire netting. acres in ex-
rent. The blue ground lays for six or
eight months, until the sun and rain
1tsirtegrate it. then the diamonds NAV
be found
There are about 10 900 men who work
,or the De Beers Company. who sign
contracts for six months or more. and
from the time they enter the employ