Mining industry stories are as big as the “fish that got away” yarns. In August, a giant greenish "diamond" was found in the North West province, Africa at an undisclosed location by Brett Jolly. The province is an area rich in minerals but not noted for its diamonds It is either the greatest diamond find in history, or a case of an extraordinary mistaken identity.
A cell phone photograph began circulating on the internet. It looks like a stage-prop about the size of a coconut. If true, this diamond will be larger than the Cullinan Diamond and some say “the eighth wonder of the world”. The 3,106.75 carat Cullinan was found in South Africa in 1905 and is now a part of the Britain’s Crown Gems. The new diamond is reported to weigh over 7,000 carats.
Brett Jolly
Brett Jolly is an elusive person and Information about him is hard to come by. Jolly's background is as a property developer in Cape Town, where a timeshare company he founded became embroiled in legal difficulties. Media reports based on court papers revealed how five of the directors went on a trip to Las Vegas when Jolly alleged the company’s finances were in chaos. His new group's website is off line, but archived copies show it says it can multiply the value of property ten times, at no cost to the owner. The following year, Jolly became the CEO of a controversial waterfront development in Swakopmund, Namibia, a US $45 million project that reportedly became mired in litigation and debt.
Prediction
Around 1900, a famous Afrikaner prophet Siener van Rensburg said that such a diamond would be found in the area of stone’s discovery. It would be known as the "skaapkop" diamond because it was shaped like a sheep's head. The prophecy was that two brothers would find the Skaapkop diamond and only one would make it. It is not known whether Brett Jolly has any siblings.
Positive:
The photograph of the stone does seem to have octahedral-like characteristics. Some contend it is possible a large stone could be found in the North West province. Some geologists say the typical light green color is typical of diamonds from Zimbabwe. Jolly said he put the stone against an angle-grinder and the stone was left unblemished.
Negative:
Excitement over the "world's biggest diamond" quickly faded into skepticism over the genuine value of the find. Diamond experts contend no way that the glass block in the photo is a diamond that has been produced from either an alluvial or kimberlite ore body. Diamond experts are skeptical that a stone of such weight and size could be from an area where usually only alluvial stones are discovered. There is also the question of the stone’s near-perfect appearance. Some contend it looks like a fluorite crystal, which is only 4 in hardness.
Conclusion
The President of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses Ernest Blom will be the first person to examine the stone. if natural, Blom said that it would be "the holy grail of diamonds" - and most certainly the largest of its kind ever discovered. The 7,000 carat light green stone is sitting in a bank vault in Johannesburg at press time
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