DIAMOND: OCCURRENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA 211 



the total number of stones found reach the standard of absolute perfection, among such the 

 most general form is that of a symmetrically developed octahedron. The" Porter Rhodes," 

 found in the Kimberley mine on February 12, 1880, is one of the finest of Cape diamonds ; 

 it is said to weigh 150 or 160 carats, and is a stone of singular beauty. The largest 

 diamond known, that of 971 1 carats, as well as those of 655 and 209^ carats respectively, 

 all from the Jagersfontein mine, are also of this high quality. As a rule, large stones are 

 patchy and impure or coloured yellow, often a deep shade of yellow, which greatly diminishes 

 their value. The otherwise poor deposits of Jagersfontein and the river diggings are 

 remarkable for the purity and beauty of the stones found there, especially in the latter. 



The majority of what are usually regarded as white Cape diamonds are in reality more 

 or less tinged with yellow ; this, though not apparent to an unpractised eye, is at once 

 remarked by an experienced diamond merchant. Stones of this tint are described as being 

 " Cape white," while others, in which the faint yellow tint is replaced by an equally faint 

 greenish tinge, rank as " first by-water." Although the yellowish and greenish tinge is so 

 slight, yet it manifestly exercises a considerable influence on the lustre and refractive power 

 of the stone. Such a stone scarcely attains to the fire and play of colour of a perfectly 

 colourless Indian or Brazilian stone ; moreover, even though cut in the best brilliant form, 

 it will appear dusky when compared with the latter and will therefore be less highly 

 prized. 



Stones of a distinct, though pale, yellow colour are specially common ; they vary in 

 shade from a canary- or straw-yellow to a light cofFee-brown. They form the majority of 

 those Cape stones which are suitable for cutting, and are naturally less prized than the Cape 

 whites or others already mentioned. As a rule, these stones, the different shades of which 

 are distinguished by the terms second by-water or off'-coloured sbones, pale yellow and dark 

 yellow, are less disfigured by faults than are the colourless stones. The abundance of these 

 pale yellow stones is a feature peculiar to the South African diamond-fields ; nowhere else 

 are they found in such numbers. Before the discovery of these deposits, stones of this 

 colour were extremely rare and were sought after as nmch as are now the stones of a fine 

 red, blue, or green colour, which are still rare. Such diamonds are referred to as "fancy 

 stones," and are perhaps more rare at the Cape than at other localities ; a representative 

 of such " fancy stones " from the Cape is a rose-violet diamond of 16 carats. Diamonds 

 of these beautiful colours, even when found, are invariably small. Transparent stones 

 of a dark brown or black colour are very rare ; though the qualities most highly 

 prized in colourless diamonds are absent in such stones, yet, on account of their rarity and 

 their application in mourning jewellery, they command a high price. Very darkly coloured 

 or impure stones, as well as those which are cloudy and opaque, are unsuitable for cutting 

 and are used as bort. 



Another unique feature of the Cape diamond-fields is the occurrence of the peculiar 

 " smoky stones," which have been already mentioned. These occur for the most part at 

 Kimberley and are scarcely known elsewhere ; they are distinguished by their very regular 

 octahedral form and by the possession of a peculiar smoky-grey colour, which is either 

 distributed uniformly or accumulated at the edges and corners of the stone, which, in the 

 latter case, is known as a " glassy stone with smoky corners." In these diamonds there is a 

 liability, as has been already mentioned, to fall to powder with no apparent external cause ; 

 this is certain to happen sooner or later when such a stone is once taken out of the ground, 

 and many and various are the devices adopted by the unfortunate possessor to postpone the 

 catastrophe, at any rate, until he has prevailed on some inexperienced buyer to take the 

 stone. Thus, immediately after it is taken from the rock, the finder will perhaps place it 



