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THE BOOK OF DIAMONDS
southern
banks of the Orange River. What led to this discovery by this child?
One of the children of a Boer farmer named Daniel Jacobs, while playing
outside of her home one day with her dolls, found a shining pebble. She
unconsciously brought to the notice of the world the fact that such
inexhaustible riches were to be had in Africa. To her childish mind
this pebble (diamond) could become the kerosene lamp for doll's house,
owing to its bearing some resemblance to the lamp in the sitting room,
which her mother used only on special occasions.
This
pebble, which was of a striking beauty, was proudly displayed in the
home to visitors. Chalk Van Nierkerk, from a neighboring farm, was
visiting this home some time later. The doll's lamp was shown him and
it interested him very much. He wanted it and offered to buy it. Mrs.
Jacobs would not think of selling it but a deal was made whereby he
gave, in exchange for the pebble, a tiny lamp carved out of wood. Thus
the pebble changed hands and by doing this simple act of generosity
Mrs. Jacobs changed the whole course of South Africa.
Van
Nierkerk laid it away in the cupboard for several weeks and later threw
it out in some trash, but later recovered it in order to show it to a
traveling trader named O'Reilly who later sent it to a mineralogist,
Dr. Guiban Atherstone, who found it to be a genuine diamond weighing
over 21 carats. It was immediately purchased for $2,500 by the governor
of Cape Colony after which Van Nierkerk paid over to the little girl
who first found it one-half of the
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