Advertising

Advertise on this site

Packages

Bookmark Us!

Feed

Warning: include() [function.include]: URL file-access is disabled in the server configuration in /home/diam/public_html/modules/mod_joomlalanguages.php on line 1

Warning: include(http://www.discoveringdiamonds.com/translate/flags.php?site_url=www.discoveringdiamonds.com&page=) [function.include]: failed to open stream: no suitable wrapper could be found in /home/diam/public_html/modules/mod_joomlalanguages.php on line 1

Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening 'http://www.discoveringdiamonds.com/translate/flags.php?site_url=www.discoveringdiamonds.com&page=' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/diam/public_html/modules/mod_joomlalanguages.php on line 1

The Diamond Office

Written by brendarocco

Sunday, 22 June 2008

The Diamond Office.

THE DIAMOND OFFICE

FROM the pulsator the diamonds are sent to the general office in Kimberley to be cleansed in a boiling mixture of nitric and sulphuric acids. A parcel of diamonds loses about half a part per 1000 by this treat ment. On one of my visits to the diamond office the door opened and in walked two young men, each carrying a large enamelled saucepan containing something steaming hot. They went to one of the zinc-covered tables and turned out from the saucepans a lustrous heap of 25,000 carats of diamonds (Fig. 10). They had just been boiled in acid and washed.

After purification the diamonds are handed to the valuators who sort them into classes, according to size, colour, and purity.

In the diamond office they are sorted into ten classes. In the year 1895, in 1141*8 carats of stones, the proportions of the different classes were as follows : Close goods (best stones) 53-8
Spotted stones 75-8
Fine cleavage 79-1
Flats 39-5
Macles 36-5
Ordinary and rejection cleavage. 243 -4

Rejection stones 43-2
Light and brown cleavage 56-9
Rubbish 37*'8 IOOO-0
Fine sand 141-8 1141*8

It is a sight for Aladdin to see the valuators at work in the strong-room of the De Beers Company at Kimberley. The tables are literally heaped with stones won from the rough blue ground stones of all sizes, purified, flashing, and of inestimable price ; stones that will be coveted by men and women all the world over ; and last, but not least, stones that are probably destined to largely influence the develop ment and history of a whole huge continent.