Post by Catdaddy on Aug 28, 2007 9:49:18 GMT -5
World`s biggest diamond find claimed in SA
www.mining-journal.com:80/Breaking_News.aspx?breaking_news_article_id=3624
The world`s biggest diamond has been found in South Africa`s North West Province, the Natal Mercury reported, citing Brett Jolly, a Cape Town property developer.
Jolly wouldn`t identify the mine, citing security reasons, the Durban, South Africa-based newspaper said.
The light-green gem weighs about 7,000 carats, and is the size of soccer ball, the newspaper said, adding that it had been sent a photograph of the gem taken with a mobile phone.
The diamond has been taken to a vault in Johannesburg and will be assessed by experts, the newspaper said.
The world`s biggest diamond is the 3,106-carat Cullinan, a gem found near Pretoria, South Africa in 1905.
That stone produced the 530-carat Star of Africa, the second-largest cut diamond in the world, which lies in the scepter of the British royal family in the Tower of London. A carat is equal to a fifth of a gram.
(Bloomberg August 28)
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
'Massive' gem dug up in S Africa
news.bbc.co.uk:80/1/hi/world/africa/6966540.stm
Peter Greste
BBC News, Johannesburg
Experts say the find would be the stone of the century, if genuine
A small South African mining company has claimed to have discovered the world's biggest-ever diamond.
A shareholder in the unnamed mine told the BBC the stone had been unearthed at their operation in the north-west province on Monday afternoon.
He said the giant gem was about 7,000 carats - which would be twice the size of the Cullinan Diamond, centre-piece of the British crown jewels.
But industry experts are sceptical about the unconfirmed claim.
Brett Jolly, a shareholder at the mine, said the stone had been taken to a bank vault in Johannesburg.
Mr Jolly said he hoped tests on Tuesday would prove its worth.
In a photograph emailed to the BBC, the 'stone' appears to be about the size of a coconut, and has a greenish tinge.
But a spokesman for De Beers, the world's biggest diamond mining company, said the north-west province was not known for producing gems and greenish stones were even rarer.
The firm also said that if the find were genuine it would be the stone of the century.
www.mining-journal.com:80/Breaking_News.aspx?breaking_news_article_id=3624
The world`s biggest diamond has been found in South Africa`s North West Province, the Natal Mercury reported, citing Brett Jolly, a Cape Town property developer.
Jolly wouldn`t identify the mine, citing security reasons, the Durban, South Africa-based newspaper said.
The light-green gem weighs about 7,000 carats, and is the size of soccer ball, the newspaper said, adding that it had been sent a photograph of the gem taken with a mobile phone.
The diamond has been taken to a vault in Johannesburg and will be assessed by experts, the newspaper said.
The world`s biggest diamond is the 3,106-carat Cullinan, a gem found near Pretoria, South Africa in 1905.
That stone produced the 530-carat Star of Africa, the second-largest cut diamond in the world, which lies in the scepter of the British royal family in the Tower of London. A carat is equal to a fifth of a gram.
(Bloomberg August 28)
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
'Massive' gem dug up in S Africa
news.bbc.co.uk:80/1/hi/world/africa/6966540.stm
Peter Greste
BBC News, Johannesburg
Experts say the find would be the stone of the century, if genuine
A small South African mining company has claimed to have discovered the world's biggest-ever diamond.
A shareholder in the unnamed mine told the BBC the stone had been unearthed at their operation in the north-west province on Monday afternoon.
He said the giant gem was about 7,000 carats - which would be twice the size of the Cullinan Diamond, centre-piece of the British crown jewels.
But industry experts are sceptical about the unconfirmed claim.
Brett Jolly, a shareholder at the mine, said the stone had been taken to a bank vault in Johannesburg.
Mr Jolly said he hoped tests on Tuesday would prove its worth.
In a photograph emailed to the BBC, the 'stone' appears to be about the size of a coconut, and has a greenish tinge.
But a spokesman for De Beers, the world's biggest diamond mining company, said the north-west province was not known for producing gems and greenish stones were even rarer.
The firm also said that if the find were genuine it would be the stone of the century.
