DIAMONDS FOUND IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD
of
the farmers is to walk back and forth over the water-washed sands with,
sabots of rye-straw, which pick up the sharp-pointed crystals. The
sabots are then burned and the ashes sieved for the diamonds. The
larger ones are picked up from the ground when seen during the tramp.
Many of them are broken or splintered crystals, and as they are used
chiefly for drill points, most of the unbroken crystals are broken up
later for the purpose. A few are sold for gem purposes. Some of them
are white, but a large majority are yellow or brownish-yellow.
The
finders obtain a good price for the stones, as buyers visit the place
regularly at certain seasons of the year and usually carry away the
entire output. The quantity obtained is unknown, but the output of
stones suitable for cutting to jewels is inconsiderable.
Very
small diamonds have been found in meteorites from Australia, Russia,
and Arizona. The meteorite that fell in Russia, September 22, 1886,
contained one per cent of diamantoid carbon in the form of carbonado in
small grayish grains. In the famous Canyon Diablo (Arizona) meteoric
masses containing small black diamonds were found and in one piece
there was discovered a tiny white diamond one fiftieth of an inch in
diameter.
In
finding diamonds in meteorites which are fused masses of iron
principally has done much to establish the conviction that carbon in
some form was crystallized into diamonds in the earth by heat and
pressure.
The most striking confirmation of the meteoric theory
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