Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-11

| rough diamonds. which, when cut and set
| were sold for at least 5000 900. 600. and per-
hapS 500 0G0,oG0 was represented by them
when they reached the wearers. Last year
their Bultfontein mine produced 81 ,O99, $50
worth of rough diamonds, and during the
four years since its discovery 1t has added
about So, 900 COO to the wealth of the world.
THE De Beers Kimberley mines pro-
duced rough diamonds to the value of 49,,
963,94o last year and during the fifteen
years since their discovery they have pro-
duced 3o,940, 46l Of rough diamonds, valued
at G4s 461, 975.
The Premier mine, not including the
Cullinan diamond produced s5,276,345
worth of rough stones last year, and since
its discovery is credited with total value
of about S23 100000. The Premier was dis
covered shortly before the Boer war on a
farm owned by Joachim Prinsloo. He tried
to sell the property for a hundred thousand
dollars, but owing to the disturbed condi-
ton of the country, could not find a buyer.
After the war he doubled his price and
sold his farm in October. 1902. to Mr.. L. NJ.
Cullinan of Johannesburg, who has made
d fortune in that country. The present
company was capitalized at $1,000 shares
of one pound sterling each, which are now
selling for els. Besides the great 'Cuiinan
diamond which have described, two other
remarkable stones have been found during
the year. On the very day after that was
discovered, January u, 1905, another unpre-
cedented stone of 3.o24 carats was picked
up, and on February 10. another of 334
carats. The former Is four and one-half
inches long, two and half inches wide and
one and one-half inches thick, and each OF
them IS worth millions
The Jagersfontein mine or the orange
Free State Ia st year yielded rough diamonds
valued at sl,719. 1876. 1t has not produced so
great a value some OF the IransVaal
mines, but has yielded an unusually large
proportion Of fine stones, especially that
ramed the Excelsior, which, up TO the dis
covery of the Cullinan,' was the largest ever
known. 1t weighed 871 carats in the rough,
but could not be sold in that form and has
recently been cut up into ten smaller stones,
Weighing from fourteen TO sixty-elght
carats, six pear-shaped drops and TOUR
maruuise briliants. which We're bought by
Tiffany and are now on exhibition III New
York More than 60 per cent of the stone
was sacrificed IN cutting, but that Is ABOUT
the usual proportion IN the hands OF ths
most skillful workers. They are compelleo
10 follow the cleavage planes when stone
is divided, and the three largest cleavage
portions of the Excelsior weighed 49, l41
aud t3O carats respectively from which
were cut ten gems of remarkable beauty.
The Excelsior Diamond.
1.-The Excelsior diamond, continued Mr.
Kunz, was picked up from the ground py
a native Kaffir while loading truck at the
Jagersfontein mine. Although the oVerseef
was standing nearby, the Kaffir managed
to sccrete it, and kept 1t on his person for
some time, not for the purpose of stealing
It, however, but because he wished TO de-
liver it personally to the manager ana get
the credit for the discovery. The manager
gave him a fine saddle horse and full equip
ment and $3.50 in cash as reward Inc
crystal weighed little more than seven
ounces avoirdupois In its rough shape. and
looked like an icicle. 1t measured three
inches in length and one and one-halr
inches in thickness. This unusual shape
made its treatment difficult problem. The
division was studied with great care and
ingenuity, and several glass models were
made to guide the cutters In order to Sc
cure the least waste and the most avail
able forms. When the plans had been de-
cded upon. the work of cleavage was ac-
complished without single mistake
misblow at any point would have meant
a loss of thousands of dollars. The work
was done at Amsterdam in 1904. The
stone was transported from London under
special police protection, and was cut and