Welcome to the Diamond Dealers Club of South Africa

3.3 BILLION BC

Diamonds are formed under intense heat and pressure deep within the Earth’s crust. They are the hardest natural substance known to man. Made from pure carbon, a diamond can produce more brilliance than any other gemstone on earth. On average 250 tonnes of ore must be mined in order to produce a single carat gem quality polished diamond – a true testament to its rarity.

2500 BC

First diamond is sighted in India as alluvial deposits along the rivers of Penner, Krishna and Godavari. Initially, these rough diamonds were not valued for their brilliance as they are today, instead these were known to be extremely hard, early tales describing it as indestructible, and were used in tools of that era. The Indian alluvial deposits were virtually the only source of diamonds for centuries yielding some world famous stones including The Great Mogul and the Koh-i-Noor.

322 BC

Diamonds first used as decoration. Diamonds appeared in Europe as a decoration for royalty in the form of jewellery reserved only for Kings because they stood for strength, courage and invincibility.

1330

Diamond cutting is established as industry. The earliest diamond cutting industry is believed to have started in Venice, Rome. The earliest form of diamond cutting is the point cut, with eight symmetrical facets in the shape of an octahedron.

1477

First diamond given as an engagement ring. The Archduke Maximillian of Austria proposed to his wife to be with a diamond ring symbolising. It was worn on the 3rd finger of the right hand, against a specific vein that goes directly to the heart.

1660

Diamonds worn as a symbol of wealth. From 1600 – 1750 diamonds symbolised ultimate wealth and prosperity in Europe among men and women. During that period, India and Brazil were the only known source of diamonds.

1867

South Africa’s first diamond, later named the Eureka, was discovered on the banks of the Orange River near Hopetown by 15-year-old Erasmus Jacobs. He was on his father’s Northern Cape farm at the time and a pretty transparent rock caught his eye. A neighbour later identified this ‘rock’ as a diamond.

1870s – 1880s

These decades saw a massive increase in mining in Kimberley, which soon accounted for 95% of all the world’s diamonds, as well as fierce competition between two British prospectors Cecil John Rhodes and Barney Barnato.

1888 – 1889

Cecil John Rhodes bought out Barney Barnato with the biggest cheque ever issued at the time and launched De Beers Consolidated Mines, a company that grew to hold global monopoly over the diamond industry for many years.

1905

The largest gem-quality diamond ever found (3106 carats) was discovered at the Premier Mine; the stone was named The Cullinan in honour of Sir Thomas Cullinan, the founder of the mine.

1919

Gemologist and engineer Marcel Tolkowsky transformed the diamond cutting industry with the development of the ideal, or modern round brilliant cut. This benchmark shape was designed on mathematical principles ensuring the proportions were just right so that white light reflects through the top of the diamond and sparkle is not lost.

1927

German-born industrialist and financier Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, who founded the Anglo American Corporation of South Africa, took over De Beers.

1939

The ‘Four Cs’ diamond grading system was established by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). This universal classification scheme assesses the quality of these stones based on cut, colour (the presence or absence of a yellow/brown tint), clarity (the presence or absence of inclusions and imperfections) and carat-weight.

1947

The Diamond Dealers Club of South Africa is established, ensuring the fifth “C” – confidence – in the South African diamond industry is instilled.