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Ch. 11: Remarkable Diamonds II

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CHAPTER ELEVEN
REMARKABLE DIAMONDS AND GEMS (Continued)
CULLINAN
The largest gems of the Orient that have long ranked among the world's wonders are fast becoming insignificant when compared with the numerous larger ones furnished by South Africa.
The largest and in many respects the most remarkable diamond of which there is any record was found on Jan­uary 26, 1905, in the Premier Diamond Mine, near Pre­toria, Transvaal. The Premier Diamond Mine is the larg­est in the world at this time—size 1,723 acres. The farm on which it is located was bought by T. M. Cullinan for 50,000 francs. On this farm the Cullinan diamond was found. This stone is nearly twice the weight of the fabled Great Mogul diamond. Its dimensions were 4 by zYi by 1 Vi inches. The finder was mine captain Frederick Wells.
He observed, while making his morning rounds, some­thing shining in the wall of the mine and on further in­vestigation a wonderful gem was disclosed, which, it is said, took all day to free from its rock matrix. The dis-
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Ch. 10: Remarkable Diamonds Page of 153 Ch. 11: Remarkable Diamonds II
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