Diamond find not so polished?
2007-08-28 23:18
Maarten Mittner
Johannesburg -The spokesperson for the company which is reputed to have discovered the world's biggest diamond in North West was involved in a timeshare scheme in 2001 that was eventually liquidated.
The scheme, Holland Moorehouse (HM),was known for its aggressive marketing tactics.
About 8 000 investors did not get a full return on their investments of R17 000 on average.
Brett Jolly was the managing director of HM, but he filed an application for liquidation against his co-directors.
At the time Jolly accused them of excessive lifestyles, which included trips to Las Vegas.
Telephone lines and the internet were humming on Tuesday about the discovery of the huge diamond, reportedly in excess of 7 000 carats.
Turned to the diamond fields
There was speculation that this could be the legendary "skaapkop" diamond (sheep's head), prophesied by the Afrikaner "prophet" Siener van Rensburg.
The Boer prophet had a vision of a massive diamond, shaped like a sheep's head, which would be discovered somewhere in the Lichtenburg region.
A diamond digger who works the banks of the Vaal River near Delpoortshoop explained: "Two brothers would find it. But when they realised what they had, the one wouldn't make it. Now everyone's afraid to find it."
After the liquidation of the company, Jolly apparently turned to the diamond fields of North West, where he seems to have secured certain prospecting rights.
Jolly did not answer his telephone on Tuesday, but said he would respond by e-mail "within a day or two".
It was reported earlier that he denied knowing anything about the diamond industry.
He was acting as a spokesperson for a property and construction company known as Two Point Five.
Meanwhile a photograph of the "diamond" was also doing the rounds on Tuesday.
Cellphone photograph only evidence
Because Two Point Five was not sure if the alleged find was indeed a diamond, Jolly had reportedly taken it to Johannesburg on Tuesday afternoon to be locked up in a safe, while he consulted an attorney about it.
Jolly was quoted as saying that it had been found on a terrain where Two Point Five was operating in North West.
A grainy cellphone photograph is at present the only evidence of the find.
Experts said it could be a crystal or even glass, because in the photo it visibly reflects light, which would not have been the case with an uncut diamond.
- Beeld