Diamond experts doubt 'big' find
2007-08-29 07:13
Maarten Mittner
Johannesburg - Controversy surrounds the find of what is reportedly the biggest diamond in the world.
A grainy photo of the diamond shows an object larger than a comparable cellphone, neatly flattened on top and underneath, with an even left side and a slightly crooked right side. It looks conspicuously smooth on top, almost like a paperweight.
Questions have been asked about whether this is the largest uncut diamond of all time and possibly even 7 000 carats, double the size of the 1905 Cullinan diamond?
"No, Sir," says a diamond expert of North West, where the stone was allegedly discovered.
"We work on a much smaller scale here. It can't be."
Other prospectors in the area are equally sceptical.
The people from North West base their opinion on the fact that most of the stones found here are alluvial diamonds.
And alluvial diamonds are usually smaller because nature has worn at them away for centuries.
If the glass-like green object were the real thing, it would be among the biggest finds ever.
The largest, the 3 106 carat Cullinan diamond, was found at Premier mine near Pretoria in 1905.
"What would make the North West green unique, if it pans out, is that it would be the largest green (diamond) in history."
Then only other relatively big green is the 40.7-carat Dresden-green, which was found more than 300 years ago.
- Beeld