Mystery surrounds claim of massive diamond find

JOHANNESBURG – Mystery and intrigue surrounded reports yesterday of a significant diamond find in the North West.

Neither the Department of Minerals and Energy nor the SA Diamond Board were able to provide information on the find, reportedly of a stone larger than the Cullinan diamond – centre-piece of the British crown jewels. Gemmologist Les Milner said: “It hasn’t been verified by an independent source.”Milner had been sent a cellphone picture of the “stone” as industry experts caution it should be referred to until confirmed as a diamond.The picture was forwarded by Mining Weekly Online who reported that they received it from the personal assistant of a spokesman for the company Two Point Five Construction.Mining Weekly Online reported that Brett Jolly, a spokesman for the company claiming to have found it, which was part of the property development firm Two Point Five group, said: “As far as I understand, a 7 000 carat light green stone is sitting in a bank vault in Johannesburg”.Jolly said he was on his way to meet his attorneys to determine what to do next.”If it is (a diamond) it would be at least twice the size of the Cullinan diamond, which was about 3 000 carats,” Milner said Its greenish tinge is a quality found in some rough diamonds but it could also be attributed to the photographic quality of the picture.If it is a diamond, it would first have to be verified as such, and if it was going to be exported, it would require licensing documentation.It would also be subjected to the Kimberley Process, a system aimed at controlling the sale of “blood diamonds”.It was difficult to determine its value, as this depended on what a buyer was prepared to pay, Milner said.It was also not uncommon for the owner of a big find to initially keep details under wraps for the purposes of increasing buyer interest.But a spokesman for De Beers, the world’s biggest diamond mining company, said the North West Province was not known for producing gems and greenish stones were even rarer.The firm also said that if the find were genuine it would be the stone of the century.The “diamond” is already featured on Wikipedia.Nampa-Sapa-BBCGemmologist Les Milner said: “It hasn’t been verified by an independent source.”Milner had been sent a cellphone picture of the “stone” as industry experts caution it should be referred to until confirmed as a diamond.The picture was forwarded by Mining Weekly Online who reported that they received it from the personal assistant of a spokesman for the company Two Point Five Construction.Mining Weekly Online reported that Brett Jolly, a spokesman for the company claiming to have found it, which was part of the property development firm Two Point Five group, said: “As far as I understand, a 7 000 carat light green stone is sitting in a bank vault in Johannesburg”.Jolly said he was on his way to meet his attorneys to determine what to do next.”If it is (a diamond) it would be at least twice the size of the Cullinan diamond, which was about 3 000 carats,” Milner said Its greenish tinge is a quality found in some rough diamonds but it could also be attributed to the photographic quality of the picture.If it is a diamond, it would first have to be verified as such, and if it was going to be exported, it would require licensing documentation.It would also be subjected to the Kimberley Process, a system aimed at controlling the sale of “blood diamonds”.It was difficult to determine its value, as this depended on what a buyer was prepared to pay, Milner said.It was also not uncommon for the owner of a big find to initially keep details under wraps for the purposes of increasing buyer interest.But a spokesman for De Beers, the world’s biggest diamond mining company, said the North West Province was not known for producing gems and greenish stones were even rarer.The firm also said that if the find were genuine it would be the stone of the century.The “diamond” is already featured on Wikipedia.Nampa-Sapa-BBC