Approximately 20 minutes drive east of Pretoria, lies the picturesque and historic Victorian village of Cullinan, the home of the Diamond Mine of the same name. Sir Thomas Cullinan discovered an alluvial diamond in the area in the late 19th century and acquired the land a few years later. The kimberlite pipe was discovered in 1902 and mining operations started shortly afterwards.
In 1905, the largest rough diamond ever found at 3 106 carats, was unearthed. It was cleaved in Amsterdam resulting in nine stones being cut, the largest of which is the Great Star of Africa, a pear-shaped diamond of 530.20 carats and is the second largest cut diamond in the world.
The Transvaal Government purchased it and presented it to King Edward Vlll on his 66th birthday. It is set in the sceptre of the Crown Jewels and is housed along with other royal jewels in the Tower of London.
de Beers took ownership of the mine and operated it as an open cast mine before selling it to Petra Diamonds in 2007 and today the Kimberlite pipe is mined primarily by underground shafts. Cullinan is famous for the rare blue diamonds that are found there and which at one stage were sold exclusively to US government agencies for use in advanced electronics.
Both surface and underground tours are conducted which include a visit to the museum, diamond cutting workshop and jewellery gallery. Quaint shops in the Victorian architectural style provide a browsing experience while the restaurants cater for the "inner man". Various accommodation options are available and steam train outings are run from Pretoria.
It is an outing that is a firm favourite of our overseas visitors.
In 1905, the largest rough diamond ever found at 3 106 carats, was unearthed. It was cleaved in Amsterdam resulting in nine stones being cut, the largest of which is the Great Star of Africa, a pear-shaped diamond of 530.20 carats and is the second largest cut diamond in the world.
The Transvaal Government purchased it and presented it to King Edward Vlll on his 66th birthday. It is set in the sceptre of the Crown Jewels and is housed along with other royal jewels in the Tower of London.
de Beers took ownership of the mine and operated it as an open cast mine before selling it to Petra Diamonds in 2007 and today the Kimberlite pipe is mined primarily by underground shafts. Cullinan is famous for the rare blue diamonds that are found there and which at one stage were sold exclusively to US government agencies for use in advanced electronics.
Both surface and underground tours are conducted which include a visit to the museum, diamond cutting workshop and jewellery gallery. Quaint shops in the Victorian architectural style provide a browsing experience while the restaurants cater for the "inner man". Various accommodation options are available and steam train outings are run from Pretoria.
It is an outing that is a firm favourite of our overseas visitors.
http://www.cullinandiamonds.co.za/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_Mine
