South Africa's diamond discoveries in the late 1860s changed the world diamond trade and the country itself. The finds near Kimberley exposed the first known kimberlite pipes, gave the rock its name, and led to the rise of De Beers. Later mines such as Premier (now Cullinan), Finsch and Venetia kept South Africa among the major producers through the 20th century, and the west coast added rich alluvial and marine deposits.
The Eureka and the Star of South Africa
In 1867 a boy named Erasmus Jacobs picked up a bright pebble on his family's farm near Hopetown, on the south bank of the Orange River. It passed through several hands before a mineralogist confirmed it was a diamond of about 21 carats. It became known as the Eureka.
Two years later, in 1869, a shepherd found a much larger stone of about 83.5 carats in the same region. Sold and cut into a pear shape of about 47.7 carats, it became the Star of South Africa. That find convinced skeptics that South Africa held real diamond deposits and set off a rush of diggers to the Vaal and Orange rivers.
Kimberley and the Big Hole
In 1871 diggers found diamonds on a low hill called Colesberg Kopje on a farm owned by the De Beer brothers. Within months thousands of claim holders were digging there. The site became the Kimberley Mine, and the town that grew around it was named Kimberley.
Diggers soon noticed that the diamonds did not stop at the weathered yellow ground near the surface. Below it lay hard blue rock that also carried diamonds. This was the first identified volcanic pipe of diamond-bearing rock, and the rock was later named kimberlite after the town. The discovery changed geology's understanding of where diamonds come from; the diamond geology page explains how these pipes form.
The early Kimberley Mine was a chaos of small claims, rope haulage systems and collapsing walls. Over time the claims were merged into larger companies, and the open hole deepened until it reached about 240 m before underground mining took over. The mine closed in 1914. The excavation, known as the Big Hole, is one of the largest hand-dug holes in the world and is now a museum site. Other pipes nearby, including De Beers, Dutoitspan, Bultfontein and Wesselton, became mines too.
Rhodes, Barnato and De Beers
The scramble at Kimberley produced the companies that came to dominate the trade. Cecil Rhodes built up De Beers Mining Company by buying claims at the De Beers mine, while Barney Barnato controlled much of the Kimberley Mine. In 1888, backed by financiers including the Rothschilds, Rhodes bought out Barnato and formed De Beers Consolidated Mines. The new company controlled nearly all of South Africa's diamond output.
The diamond rush also shaped South Africa's labor system. Mines housed Black African workers in closed compounds, a practice meant to prevent theft that also became part of the wider system of racial control in the country. This history is covered further in the history of the diamond trade.
Cullinan (Premier) and the Cullinan diamond
The Premier mine, east of Pretoria, opened in 1902 on a kimberlite pipe found by Thomas Cullinan. In January 1905 a mine manager spotted a huge crystal in the wall of the pit. It weighed about 3,106 carats, the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found.
The Transvaal government bought the stone and presented it to King Edward VII in 1907. The Asscher company in Amsterdam cleaved and cut it in 1908; the story is on the page about Amsterdam diamond cutting. It yielded nine major stones, led by Cullinan I (about 530 carats, set in the Sovereign's Sceptre) and Cullinan II (about 317 carats, set in the Imperial State Crown), plus about 96 smaller brilliants.
Premier went on to produce many other large and fine diamonds, including stones over 100 carats and rare blue diamonds. It has been worked both as an open pit and underground. The mine was renamed Cullinan in 2003 for its centenary.
Finsch, Venetia and Koffiefontein
Several 20th-century mines followed:
- Finsch, in the Northern Cape west of Kimberley, was discovered in the early 1960s by prospectors and bought by De Beers. It began production in 1967, moving from open pit to underground methods.
- Venetia, in Limpopo near the borders with Botswana and Zimbabwe, opened in 1992. It became South Africa's largest producer by volume for many years, and De Beers converted it to an underground mine in the 2020s.
- Koffiefontein, in the Free State, was found in 1870 and worked on and off for more than a century, known for good-quality white stones.
The how diamonds are mined page explains open-pit and underground methods.
Namaqualand and the west coast
Along South Africa's west coast, from the Orange River mouth south through Namaqualand, diamonds eroded from inland kimberlites were carried down the Orange River and spread along the coast by currents and waves. Diamonds were found there in the 1920s, near Port Nolloth and Alexander Bay. These alluvial and beach deposits produce a high share of gem-quality stones, because the long journey breaks up flawed crystals. Marine mining also took place offshore. The same system feeds the deposits of southern Namibia, covered on the page on diamond mines of Namibia.
South African diamonds today
South Africa's diamond industry has matured, with many older mines closed or sold to smaller operators since the 2000s. Kimberley remains a historic center, and the Big Hole draws visitors. The country's discoveries founded modern diamond geology and the corporate structure of the trade. For a comparison with other producers, see diamond mines of the world and the neighboring diamond mines of Botswana.
Frequently asked questions
What was the first diamond found in South Africa?
The Eureka, a stone of about 21 carats, was found near Hopetown in 1867. The larger Star of South Africa followed in 1869.
What is the Big Hole?
The Big Hole is the excavation of the old Kimberley Mine, dug largely by hand from 1871 until 1914. It is now a heritage site and museum.
Where was the Cullinan diamond found?
It was found in 1905 at the Premier mine near Pretoria, which was later renamed Cullinan. It weighed about 3,106 carats as rough.
Why is kimberlite called kimberlite?
The rock was named after the town of Kimberley, where diamond-bearing volcanic pipes were first identified in the 1870s.