![]() ![]() The Kamfers Dam wetland on the outskirts of Kimberley has Natural Heritage status. Kimberley and the surrounding areas offer interesting opportunities for eco-tourism. They also introduced the four factors to measure diamond quality in 1939 for consumers to be able to evaluate diamonds, namely cut, colour, carat and clarity. Interestingly, De Beers coined the phrase “a diamond is forever”, starting the trend of diamond engagement rings being the epitome of true love. Cecil John Rhodes and Charles Rudd gained control of both mines and merged them, forming De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd in 1888, the company which today controls virtually the majority of diamond mines on Earth. Two big mines were formed: the De Beers and Kimberley mines. ![]() They sold the farm, and though they did not become the owners of the mines, one of the mines inherited their name. The diamonds were discovered on the farm of Johannes Nicolaas and Diederik Arnoldus de Beer. Kimberley and Beaconsfield eventually combined in 1913 and became one city. The twin town of Beaconsfield was established as a centre for the diggings of Bultfontein, Dutoitspan and later Wesselton. The town is named after the Earl of Kimberley, the British Colonial Secretary at the time. Buildings sprang up around the verges of this Big Hole and the town of Kimberley was born. ![]() When work on the mine was suspended on August 14,1914, a total of 22.5 million tons of earth had been excavated, yielding 2,722kg of diamonds. Mined to a depth of about 240m, and with a surface area of about 17ha and a perimeter of about 1.6km, it is the largest hand-dug excavation in the world. These discoveries also led to the excavation of the aptly named Big Hole. Subsequent diamond discoveries, such as the Star of South Africa, an 83-carat stone, sparked a diamond rush that attracted treasure hunters from all over the world. While walking he picked up a shiny pebble and put it in his pocket only to discover that it was the Eureka, a 21-carat diamond. When a young man by the name of Erasmus Jacobs set off on a walk in 1866 little did he know that what was about to happen would change the history of South Africa. ![]()
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