Jagersfontein (D 12)

Name: Jagersfontein

http://www.places.co.za/html/jagersfontein.html

Founded in a diamond rush, the town still exudes the whiff of the pioneer diggertown. Various attractions, as well as an open mine museum and original mine where the 971-carat Excelsior diamond was found in 1893

Situated on the R706, 110km south-west of Bloemfontein, Jagersfontein can be described as nothing less than `priceless'. Founded in 1871 the town magically retains that pristine individuality of a flourishing mining village of yesteryear.

In 1870 the first diamond was found in Jagersfontein by a farmer with the name of De Klerk. This was about three years before Kimberley started, and it was also the first time a diamond was found in its mother stone - blue ground or as it's now known, Kimberlite.

This mine is actually the oldest diamond mine of its kind in the world. The diamond mining was done by pick, shovel and dynamite and so the miners of yesteryear created the world's biggest vertical handmade hole.

The Jagger jewel diamonds found here are famous for its exceptional quality. Of the ten biggest diamonds ever found in the world, two came from this mine. In 1893 a diamond of 972 carats was discovered and it was described as a stone of the purest water - today known as a blue white diamond. It was called the Excelsior. It is estimated that in present day terms the stone is worth R1.2 billion.

Two years later another stone of 640 carats of similar quality was found and named the Reitz. Later this stone was named the Jubilee.



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