Star of South Africa (diamond)

Star of South Africa (diamond)
Star of South Africa
Dudley 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 2011),[6] at the time.

See also

  • List of famous diamonds

References

  1. ^ "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. 
  2. ^ Roberts, Brian (1976). Kimberley: turbulent city. New Africa Books. p. 12. ISBN 9780949968623. 
  3. ^ Roberts, Brian (1976). Kimberley: turbulent city. New Africa Books. p. 13. ISBN 9780949968623. 
  4. ^ 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. 
  5. ^ 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. 
  6. ^ UK CPI inflation numbers based on data available from Lawrence H. Officer (2010) "What Were the UK Earnings and Prices Then?" MeasuringWorth.

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