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Kimberley is the home of De Beers Consolidated Diamond Mines, some of the world's richest diamond mines, and it is still considered to be the capital of the world's diamond industry. Kimberley and the Big HoleKimberley is the home of De Beers Consolidated Diamond Mines, some of the world’s richest diamond mines, and it is still considered to be the capital of the world's diamond industry. As the centre for the diamond fever of the late 19th century it foundations began to be dug in 1871 when a diamond was found on a small hill called Colesberg Koppie. Digging began and only a few months later more than 30 000 men were frantically excavating for diamonds in an area covering 300m by 200m.
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They made short work of the hill and soon plunged down into the earth to a depth of 1100 metres to create what came to be known simply as the ‘Big Hole’. 28 million tons of dirt was removed, yielding 14.5 million carats of diamonds and resulting in the creation of the largest manmade hole in the world. It was here that the famous Star of Africa was found, a magnificent 83.5 carat diamond.
Horrific living and working conditions and extreme heat did nothing to deter those early fortune hunters, determined to strike it rich. Soon a shantytown, later to become Kimberley, had sprung up around the hole. Conditions were tough and fights and riots were common until imperialists like Cecil John Rhodes, Barney Barnato and the Oppenheimer family started buying up as many claims as possible which imposed some sort of order and ultimately transformed into the wealthy diamond mining companies and owners we know today.
Today Kimberley’s Big Hole is no longer in use and stands as a silent relic to the boom of the diamond industry while the Kimberley Museum offers an accurate glimpse into what it was like at its peak. A footbridge has been constructed and stretches out halfway over the hole so visitors can take a walk to the middle and gain an appreciation for how strong the desire for wealth must have been to push men to sacrifice so much for the chance to find a diamond.
