The world of gemstones: South Africa

South Africa is the country with the most diverse diamond sources in the world. Its large pipes and alluvial deposits are legendary in the diamond industry.

Diamonds were discovered for the first time in South Africa in the late 19th century. Currently 90% of diamond production in South Africa comes from kimberlite pipes: the Cullinan in 1903, Finsch in the mid-1960s and Venetia in 1991.

The Cullinan mine has produced hundreds of diamonds weighing 100 carats or more, up to 400 carats. The mine is also known to produce rare and expensive blue diamonds.

In 1905, the mine earned an international reputation for the discovery of the Cullinan, the world's largest diamond with a weight of 3,106 carats.

The 1986 was the year of the discovery of the "Centenary Diamond", a rough diamond of 599 carats called 'centenary' to commemorate the anniversary of De Beers.