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Our Mining Heritage

The beautiful month of September not only marks the beginning of Spring, it is also the month devoted to Heritage.

A country’s natural heritage is its natural resources and beautiful environment, because they are considered to be so unique that they are internationally respected and protected.

South African heritage, might be anything from famous stretches of coastline in Kwazulu-Natal, to shweshwe fabric, to Bunny Chow or Potjie. But for now lets take a look at our mining heritage and history.

Mining in South Africa was once the main driving force behind the history and development of Africa’s most advanced and richest economy.

Did you know:

South Africa is the world’s largest producer of Chrome, Manganese, Platinum, Vanadium and Vermiculite.

Platinum and Palladium:
South Africa produces more platinum and similar metals than any other country.
In 2005, 78% of the world’s platinum was produced in South Africa, along with 39% of the world’s Palladium.
Over 163,000 kilograms of platinum was produced in 2010, generating export revenues of $3.82 billion USD
Currently Russia and South Africa are the biggest palladium producers in the world.

• South Africa is the second largest producer of Ilmenite, Palladium, Rutile and Zirconium.
• South Africa is also a huge producer of Iron ore: In 201 2 it overtook India to become the world’s third-biggest iron ore supplier to China.
• South Africa has the second-largest reserves of uranium in the world.
  (NUFCOR) (The Nuclear Fuels Corporation of South Africa) started processing Uranium as a by-product of gold mining in 1967.
  Most of the uranium produced is concentrated in the golf fields of the Witwatersrand area.

• South Africa’s production of chromium accounted for 100% of the world’s total production in 2005, and consisted of 7,490,000 metric tons of material.

Chromium is used in stainless steel and for a variety of industrial applications.

• South Africa is the world’s third largest coal exporter.
  Much of the country’s coal is used for power production as 77% of South Africa’s energy needs are provided by coal.

Gold
Gold was discovered in the area known as Witwatersrand, triggering what would become the Witwatersrand Gold Rush of 1886.
South Africa accounted a percentage of 15% of the world’s gold production in 2002 and 12% in 2005, though South Africa has produced as much as 30% of world output as recently as 1993.
Despite declining production, South Africa’s gold exports were valued at $3.8 billion USD.

• It was estimated by US Geological Survey in that as of 2002, South Africa held about 50% of the world’s gold resources, and 38% of reserves.

“Diamonds are a girls best friend”

Did you know:
Diamonds are valued by weight, colour, clarity and various other factors.
The first diamond was discovered on the banks of the Orange River in 1867 by Erasmus Jacobs.

• Of “The 10 Largest Diamonds Ever Discovered” – Four are from South Africa!

The Jonker: 726 carats
This giant stone, was found by a settler called Johannes Jacobus Jonker in 1934.
It’s believed the rough diamond was cut into 13 smaller stones, with the largest diamond, the Jonker I, still weighing in at an incredible 142.9 carats.

The Golden Jubilee: 755 carats
The golden Jubilee was discovered in 1985, it was eventually cut and faceted diamond that weighed an enormous 545.67 carats, making it the largest finished diamond in the world.
It is currently owned by the Royal Family of Thailand.

Excelsior Diamond: 995.20 carats
Was Found in 1893 in Jagersfontein Mine, this huge rock was cut into many smaller pieces. The largest gemstone cut from this famous diamond was 69.68 carats.

Cullinan Diamond: 3106.75 carats
The Cullinan, was discovered by a mining superintendent in old Transvaal in 1905.
Also known as the Star of Africa, this is arguably the most famous diamond in the world.
Weighing more than three times the weight of the Excelsior Diamond, it was named after the owner of the mine, Sir Thomas Cullinan.
It was given as a gift to the King of the United Kingdom (Edward VII). Nine large stones and 96 stones were taken from the rough diamond, including the famous Star of Africa (Cullinan I) which is 530.2 carats and is now part of the Crown Jewels, inserted into the Sceptre with the Cross.
The value of the Cullinan diamond has been estimated at $2 billion.

We live in one of the most beautiful and most resourceful countries in the world.

As former President Nelson Mandela stated:
“When our first democratically-elected government decided to make Heritage Day one of our national days, we did so because we knew that our rich and varied cultural heritage has a profound power to help build our new nation.”

Lets choose to acknowledge, respect, and celebrate our culture and the diversity of beliefs and traditions to rather use this power to promote peace and to build a stronger nation. 

Sources:
Wikipedia
Mining Review

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About Wendy De Wet

I joined Leads 2 Business as an Account Executive in July 2011 and was part of the dynamic sales team in JHB for 2 years. I relocated to the beautiful city of Durban in 2013 and absolutely love KZN. I am very proud to be part of the L2B family and Legacy!

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Precious Gems and Stones in South Africa

Not the usual blog you would find in our industry. Just a tad different with interesting thoughts and insights you might not have ever thought about before.

All the bright images of these “bling’s” comes to mind from beauty and great riches for so many centuries.
Come to think about it gemstones have long fascinated the human population. Not only to be used as investments by the rich, who used to show off the red rubies, shiny diamonds or the enormous emeralds to display wealth, status and power owned only by the royalty. People have treasured gems for many reasons throughout history.

Believe it not, the gems and stones inspired myths, curses and has been used as medicine before. Religious symbols, amulets and good-luck charms are one of the most known reasons today. Ancient people believed that certain gems would protect them from misfortune, illness and unhappiness. All the gemstones we so greatly treasure and admire come from various depths and locations in the earth’s crust.

I can write forever and a day about all the different stones and gems and all the superstition symbols of hope, luck, and many more. But can’t help myself to name the most obvious.
The number twelve is common in gem lore. Twelve gems that represented the twelve tribes of Israel were set in the breastplate of Aaron, the first high priest of the Hebrews. Among Christians, symbolic gems represented the twelve apostles.

The Twelve Tribes The Twelve Apostles
1. Levi, garnet Peter, (Jasper)
2. Zebulon, diamond Andrew, (Sapphire)
3. Gad, amethyst James, (Chalcedony)
4. Benjamin, jasper John, (Emerald)
5. Simeon, chrysolite Philip, (Sardonyx)
6. Issachar, sapphire Bartholomew, (Sard)
7. Naphtali, agate Matthew, (Chrysolite)
8. Joseph, onyx Thomas, (Beryl)
9. Reuben, sard James the Less, (Topaz)
10. Judah, emerald Judy, (Chrysolprase)
11. Dan, topaz Simon, (Hyacinth)
12. Asher, beryl Judas, (Amethyst)

In addition, gems have long been associated with the signs of the zodiac and with the sun, moon, and planets.

Signs of the Zodiac
Aries the ram, (Bloodstone)
Taurus the bull, (Sapphire)
Gemini the twins, (Agate)
Cancer the crab, (Emerald)
Leo the lion, (Onyx)
Virgo the virgin, (Carnelian)
Libra the scales, (Chrysolite)
Scorpio the scorpion, (Aquamarine)
Sagittarius the archer, (Topaz)
Capricorn the goat, (Ruby)
Aquarius the water bearer, (Garnet)
Pisces the fishes, (Amethyst)

Did you know that the most expensive gemstone ever sold was the Pink Star Diamond that was sold for $83 million? Also known as the ‘Fancy Vivid Pink’ diamond, this stunning gemstone was mined in 1999 in South Africa, with a weight of 59.6 carats. Because of the selling price of $83 million, this diamond became the most expensive gem ever sold.

Did you know that Queen Elizabeth crown that she has worn for 63 years also has a diamond in from South Africa? Weighing a breath-taking 3 106 carats, this diamond was discovered in 1905 by Pretoria’s Premier Mine inspector, Thomas Wells, who initially mistook it as a piece of glass placed by the miners to prank him.
When its identity was revealed, the diamond was named The Cullinan after the owner of the mine and purchased by the Transvaal government as a gift for King Edward VII. Then plans were made to have the precious diamond shipped to England on a boat, always protected by top security. However, it was later revealed to be an elaborate ruse created to fool any hopeful thieves – the Cullinan was in fact sent to England in the mail, with no security whatsoever.
Did you know in 1867 South Africa’s first diamond, later called the Eureka, was discovered on the banks of the Orange River near Hopetown by 15-year-old Erasmus Jacobs. He was playing around on his father’s Northern Cape farm at the time and a pretty transparent rock caught his eye. It was a neighbour, Schalk van Niekerk, who identified this ‘rock’ as a diamond.

So where do gems come from?
Most gemstones are minerals or rocks and occur in favoured sites in the earth’s crust or in the gravels that result from the weathering of rocks. Of the beautifully crystallized minerals that seem useful for gems, only a very few meet the standards and are sufficiently beautiful, durable, rare and large enough to be cut into saleable stones. As a class of natural objects gemstones are exceedingly rare.

About one hundred chemical elements make up the earth. Oxygen and silicon are by far the most plentiful elements in the earth’s crust, and they occur in most minerals. In gemstones, they are major ingredients in amethyst, aquamarine, emerald, garnet, peridot, topaz, tourmaline and zircon. Oxygen is a major ingredient in ruby, sapphire, chrysoberyl and spinel.

As a mineral form, certain atoms attract each other and arrange themselves in an orderly geometric pattern called the crystal structure. All mineral crystals have their atoms arranged in some combination of fourteen basic patterns.

Minerals usually occur as crystalline grains in rocks. Because the grains compete with neighbouring ones for very limited space, there usually isn’t room for complete crystal shapes to form. Time is another important factor in crystal growth. When molten rock cools quickly, natural glass or tiny crystals form. Slower cooling time gives larger crystals time to grow. Large crystals may form whenever conditions are right. They may grow slowly into open spaces in cracks or hollows in the rocks.

Occasionally, near perfect crystals are found. A mineral’s internal atomic structure determines its distinctive exterior crystal shape. Crystal shape often helps identify and distinguish gem minerals from one another.

Today, many gems can be created in laboratories. Synthetic gems have the same chemical composition and physical properties as naturally formed gemstones. A simulated gem may look like a natural gem, but there the similarity ends.
As with other gems, most precious gemstones are minerals. This mineral, however, is a chemical element or compound that forms in nature and possess a unique internal atomic structure, crystal. Minerals usually form because of inorganic processes that occur in rocks.

Furthermore, since mineral deposits can be found all over the world, so can the various gemstones.

In fact, many gems and stones come from South Africa and this is the reason why the industry remains sturdy.
Of some interest is the mining techniques used to procure such brilliant gems.

The following is a list of South Africa gems and minerals listed in our database:

If you are interested in buying gemstones in South Africa you need to look out for the following:

How to buy gemstones in South Africa
1. Look at the background of the seller!
2. Look at the credentials of the seller!
3. Study the gemstone.
4. Is the gemstone from South Africa or not?
5. Check the integrity of the seller.

To view more articles, please visit the Leads 2 Business Blog.
If you are interested in becoming one of our subscribers, please visit Leads 2 Business.
To view notes with screenshots on how to use our website, please visit the Leads 2 Business Wiki.

References:
Cape Town Diamond Museum
Rock Hounds
Touch Gemstones
Gemrock Auctions
Cape Town Magazine
Interflora
Gem5
Diamond Portfolio
SAMAA

About Christine Brooks

My journey started in 2015 with Leads 2 Business, as an Account Executive, and gradually grown to take the role of being the Client Liaison Officer (CLO) since 2018. Assisting in the delivery of our services and insuring our clients expectations and requirements are exceeded.

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