Star of South Africa (diamond)
| Weight | 47.69[1] carats (9.54 g) |
|---|---|
| Color | white |
| Cut | pear |
| Country of origin | Cape Colony |
| Date discovered | 1869 |
| Original owner | John O'Rielly |
The Star of South Africa, also known as the Dudley Diamond, is a 47.69 carats (9.54 g) white diamond found by a Griqua shepherd boy in 1869. The original stone, before cutting, weighed 83.5 carats (16.7 g).[2]
The shepherd sold the stone for the hefty price of 500 sheep, 10 oxen and 1 horse to Schalk van Niekerk, a neighboring farmer with a reputation for collecting unusual stones.[3] Van Niekerk sold the stone on to the Lilienfield Brothers in Hopetown for £11,200. The Lilienfield Brothers sent it to England where it changed hands twice before finally being bought by the Countess of Dudley for £25,000.[4][5] William Ward, the Earl of Dudley had it mounted with 95 smaller diamonds in a head ornament.[4]
The diamond stayed in the Wards' possession until 2 May 1974 when it was sold on auction in Geneva for 1.6 million Swiss Francs, equivalent to around £225,300 (£1,748,860 as of 2012),[6] at the time.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Diamonds Star line-up". Natural History Museum, London. 2005-07-07. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/press-office/press-releases/2005/press_release_5680.html. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ Roberts, Brian (1976). Kimberley: turbulent city. New Africa Books. p. 12. ISBN 9780949968623.
- ^ Roberts, Brian (1976). Kimberley: turbulent city. New Africa Books. p. 13. ISBN 9780949968623.
- ^ a b The great diamonds of the world. Their history and romance. London, G. Bell & Sons. 1882. p. 241. http://www.archive.org/stream/greatdiamondsofw00stre#page/241/mode/1up. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ Williams, Gardner Fred (1904). The diamond mines of South Africa. New York, B. F. Buck & company. p. 123. http://www.archive.org/stream/diamondminesofso01willrich#page/123/mode/1up. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
- ^ UK CPI inflation numbers based on data available from Lawrence H. Officer (2010) "What Were the UK Earnings and Prices Then?" MeasuringWorth.
