Erasmus Jacobs News Today

It was the world's largest rough diamond when it was mined in South Africa. Today it's cut into nine gems and they're all part of the British Crown Jewels.

It has always been accepted that Kimberley Mine in Northern Cape, South Africa is the deepest and biggest mine dug by hand. And yet, it isn’t. Jagersfontein Mine claims that title, but this fact has not diminished the attraction of ‘The Big Hole’ since it is the site of the world’s biggest diamond rush.

History is littered with amazing discoveries, whether accidental or as the result of a thorough search. With each discovery, a little puzzle piece of

Australian geologist EWEN TYLER (AM) has been called the 'Father of Australian diamonds', having led the discovery of the country's three diamond mines. Here, he reflects on humanity’s captivation with these shimmering stones.

Last modified on Tue 19 Jan 2021 08.00 EST There was no single moment when I began to sense the long shadow that Cecil John Rhodes has cast over my life, or over the university where I am a professor, or over the ways of seeing the world shared by so many of us still living in the ruins of the British empire. But, looking back, it is clear that long before I arrived at Oxford as a student, long before I helped found the university’s Rhodes Must Fall movement, long before I even left Zimbabwe ...