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south African diamonds (Continued)
prosperous
again. In fact, that prosperity is already on its way. Production of
diamonds had dropped from its peak of 7,500,000 carats in 1927 to about
3,775,000 carats in 1933; to have been curtailed less than 50 per cent
was a good record for any business in these seven years. Diamond prices
have not been reduced more than one third. For this measure of
stability, miners and cutters alike thank the Diamond Syndicate.
Most
of the diamonds coming out of Africa today, with DeBeer's pipe mines
all closed down because they were overwhelmed by reckless competition
and by depression, are alluvial diamonds. No one can say just to how
many productive years the mines may look forward, not even DeBeer's own
engineers. But certain it is that the pipes have many years of
production before them.
The DeBeers directly controls every important source of diamonds in South Africa, including both pipe mines and alluvial fields.
The
stones vary enormously in grade of purity and color, but they must come
within a certain standard in order to be selected for jewelry purposes.
Fine white diamonds, free from flaws, are extremely rare. Even rarer
are flawless blue diamonds, so much like sapphires that only their
hardness and specific gravity distinguishes them.
When
the workmen are hired they sign a contract for three months, during
which it is agreed that they shall remain perpetually within the mine.
Besides food and lodging they are supplied with a radio and other
forms of entertainment to make the evenings as cheerful as possible.
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