1897.] on Diamonds. 485 



So distinctive are the characters in diamonds from each mine that 

 an experienced buyer at once tells the locality of any particular 

 parcel of stones. De Beers and Kimberley mines are distinguished 

 by large yellowish crystals. Dutoitspan yields many coloured stones, 

 while Bulfontein — half a mile off — produces small white stones, 

 occasionally speckled and flawed, but rarely coloured. Diamonds 

 Irom the Wesselton mine are nearly all irregular in shape ; a perfect 

 crystal is rare, and most of the stones are white, few yellow. 

 Diamonds from the Leicester mine have a frosted, etched appearance ; 

 they are white, the crystallisation irregular (" cross-grained "), and 

 they are very hard. The newly discovered "■ Newlands " mines in 

 Griqualand West are remarkable for the whiteness of their diamonds 

 and for their many perfect octahedral crystals. Jagersfoutein stones 

 in the Orange Free State, take the prize for purity of colour and 

 brilliancy, and they show that so-called " steely " lustre characteristic 

 of old Indian gems. Stones from Jagerslontein are worth nearly 

 double those from Kimberley and De Beers. 



Monster diamonds are not so uncommon as is generally supposed. 

 DianKmds weighing over an ounce (151-5 carats) are not infrequent 

 at Kimberley, and there would be no difficulty in getting together a 

 hundred of them. Not long ago, in one parcel of stones at the office 

 of Wernher, Beit and Co., I saw eight perfect crystals, each over an 

 ounce, and one that weighed two ounces (Fig. 20). The largest 

 known diamond — a true mountain of light — weighs 970 carats, over 

 half a pound. It was found four years ago at Jagersfoutein. It is 

 perfection in colour, but has a small black spot in the centre. 

 Diamonds smaller than a small fraction of a grain elude the sorters 

 and are lost. A microscopic examination of blue ground from Kim- 

 berley, after treatment with appropriate solvents, shows the presence 

 of microscopic diamonds, white, coloured and black, also of boart 

 and carbonado. 



From two to three million carats of diamonds are turned out of 

 the Kimberley mines in a year, and as five million carats go to the 

 ton, this represents half a ton of diamonds. To the end of 1892, ten 

 tons of diamonds had come from these mines, valued at 60,000,000/. 

 sterling. This mass of blazing diamonds could be accommodated in 

 a box five feet square and six feet high. 



The diamond is a luxury for which there is only a limited demand. 

 From 4 to 4^ millions sterling is as much as is spent annually in 

 diamonds ; if production is not regulated by demand, there will be 

 over-production, and the trade will sutfer. By regulating the out- 

 put, since the consolidation in 1888 the directors have succeeded in 

 maintaining prices. 



Outside companies and individuals collect diamonds to the value 

 of about a million annually. 



Intermediate between soft carbon and diamond come the graphites. 

 The name graphite is given to a variety of carbon, generally crystal- 

 line, which in an oxidising mixture of chlorate of potassium and 



Vol. XY. (No. 91.) 2 k 



