208 



SYSTEMATIC DESCRIPTION OF PRECIOUS STONES 



The Jagersfontein mine, near Fauresmith, in Orange River Colony, contains only 

 O'lO to 0"35 carat of diamond per cubic metre of " blue ground." The poorness of the 

 yield is, however, in some measure compensated for by the singular beauty and size of the 

 stones. For the year ending March 31, 1891, the average value per carat of stones from 

 this mine was 37*., stones from the Kimberley mines being worth only 25s. 6d. per carat. 

 The largest diamond known was found in this mine in 1893; it weighed 971 f carats and 

 will be figured (Fig. 51) and described later on. A very fine stone of 655 carats was found 

 here also at the end of 1895. The mine was opened in 1880, was abandoned for a time 

 about 1885, but was subsequently re-opened. 



The Koffyfontein mine, also in the Orange River Colony, gives a smaller yield still, 

 amounting to only about two-thirds that of the Jagersfontein. The stones, however, are of 

 good quality and are worth about 30*. per carat ; from December 1887 to April 1891, 9912 

 carats of diamonds, valued at ,£'14i,640, were mined here. 



The relative importance of the different mines is also shown to a certain extent by a 

 comparison of the number of workers employed in each. Thus in the year 1890 the 

 numbers were as follows • 



Whites. 



682 



495 



De Beer's mine . 

 Kimberley mine 

 Du Toit's Pan mine . 

 Bultfontein mine 



67 

 37 



1281 



Blacks. 



2780 



1800 



400 



300 



5280 



The number of persons employed in the mines at Kimberley in the year 1892 is given 

 in the following table. This includes two mines not before specially mentioned, namely 

 Otto's Kopje and St. Augustine's, the former being situated a couple of miles to the west of 

 Kimberley, and the latter in the town itself. 



We turn now to the consideration of the characters and the quality of Cape diamonds, 

 that is to say, the form and condition of crystallisation, colour, size, &c., peculiar to stones 

 from this region. 



These diamonds usually occur as distinct crystals, symmetrically developed in all 

 directions and with perfectly sharp edges and corners ; but fragments of larger crystals, 

 bounded by cleavage surfaces, and which are therefore cleavage fragments, also occur with 

 considerable frequency. These cleavage fragments are sometimes of fair size, the original 



