El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-04-29

'A1H1 pcOplt VI OnlteQ States
buy more diamonds than any
other people in the world. Tht
importation of these stones has increas-
ed more than twentyfOld since the civi
War. The annual importation now ap-
proXimates S30,000,0 600 on which a duty
OF 100000 is paid. 1t is estimated
that 10 per cent of all the precious
stones imported into this country art
diamonds Those who have made this
estimate believe these figures to BIZ
representative of the importations into
other countries also. The worlds stock
OF diamonds is exceedingly large, how
large no one really knows. George T.
hunz. an expert of international rep
! utation, declares that the loss of dia-
monds through carelessness. fire. or
otherwise, amounts TO less than per
| cent in a whole century.
South Africa Greatest Producer
| The South African diamond fields
| alone have produced half billion dol
, lars worth of these gems since 1870.
The plumber of Delhi by Navir Shah
in 1873 yielded three hundred million
dollars, the main part of the treasure
| being diamonds The great mosuIs
thus had gathered together the most
remark able collection OF these jewels
the world has ever seen. 1t is said that
one American necklace is worth S31U-
OOV, and that at some of the operate
performances in New York millions of
dollars worth of jewels may be seen
on display. The production of diamonds
LII the South African fields has amount
ed to approximately 100000 karats
Could all of these be massed together
they would make a column of the pre-
clous stones as high as the Washing
ton monument and five feet square
All but per cent of the worlds out
put OF diamonds today comes from
these fields.
The diamond trade is the worlds ona
feature OF commerce Thich is complete-
ly dominated by one group of interests
IheSe capitalists assert that the inter-
est OF civilization demands that the
diamond market shall be maintained In
an unfluctuating state. They assert
that when the Brazilian diamonds were
placed on the market without refer
ence TO the demand, great injury was
done TO the owners Of diamonds
throughout the world.
Field Long Unnoticed
NO one knows when man first con-
celVed his liking for the shining stone.
The diamond in the rough is not so
attractive as the we'll cut aud highly
pohshed jewel put its use in that
form must have antedated it's use in
its cut and polished form. For CEN
turtles uniumbered the aboriginaI tribes
had tramped over South Africa, and |
English and Dutch hunters pioneers |
shepherds, missionaries, and adveu- |
turers had treked heedlessly over what |
was destined to become one of the |
richest spots on earth. Even colonial /
biologists made surveys of that region I
without dreaming that untold millions
OF diamonds were hidden in the soil.
Yet this oversight was not remarkable. |
one or the managers Of the deBeers
company declared that during Is years
OF service on the diamond field he had /
never found single stone. It would
a a De remarkable if Ali Hafid had
actually roamed the world over in
search OF diamonds and finally cast
himself into the river to ESCAPE star
walton, " lille in the sands OF his own |
garden lay the treasures of Golconda- |
In Brazil diamonds were used as conn
tiers In card games by the native gold
hunters long before they were recoe,-
nized as diamonds.
Discovery Accidental
And SO the South African diamond
Iields lay undiscovered until a little
more than 40 years ago 1t remain
I'd for little boy. the son of a stoIid
Boer farmer. Daniel Jacob, TO find the
stone which ultimately was to lead
ne attention of the world to the great
mines of South Africa. Dur.
ng the day he and his brothers and
sisters herded their fathers cattle and
sheep over the South African veldt.
ma along the stream by which their
'ude hut was built
But one day in 1865 he happened to
IND a pebble brighter than all the
est; put IT in his pocket, and carried
I nome Finally a neighbor came
IIong who thought the stone might be
Iorth something, The boy went out
tho the yard, got it and in giving it
o MIN refused any pay for it This
lelghbor turned it over to a traveller
Vno happened that way and it was !
arrled to the nearest town where the
ewelers wore out all their files be-
ore finally pronOuncing il an actual
lamond- There were a number of
expeditions into that region and eyery- /
ody began to look for diamonds. but /
cry few indeed were the rewards of .
he search :
In the following year. however while n
he English were being urged to make '
careful geologic survey of this re- .
lon' a Griqua shepherd boy found an n
. karat white diamond The same !,
eikerk who had carried the Jacobs Y
lamond 10 civilization bought this one II
nd gave 500 sheep, ten oxen and q
orse for it.
"Find' Sold for $1,000.
This Of course seemed to the boy a I,