TABL E 0 F CONTENTS EDITORIAL Diamond Prospecting and Market Prospects Richard T. Liddicoat FEATURE ARTICLES A History of Diamond Sources in Africa: Part I A. /. A. (Bram)/arise A Chart for the Separation of Natural and Synthetic Diamonds lames E. Sl~igley,Emmanuel Fritsch, Ilene Reinitz, and Thomas E. Moses REGULAR FEATURES Gem Trade Lab Notes Gem News Book Reviews Gemological Abstracts Annual Index ABOUT THE COVER: The modern history of the diamond industry start- ed in the late 1860s, with the discovery of a bright pebble on a farm in South Africa. Soon, prospectors had spread throughout the Kimberley area (and, eventually, into neighboring countries) looking for-and finding- many major alluvial deposits and the host pipes themselves. For more than a hundred years, countries on the African continent dominated the supply of gem diamonds. Even today, they continue to provide millions of carats annually for the consun1er market. The lead article in this issz~e,Part I of a two-part series, provides a fascinating, and factual, history of the diamond discoveries in southern Africa. The 27.74 ct yellow diamond in the pen- dant to this diamond neclzlace is of African origin; ii is surro~~ndedby 19 circular-cut diamonds, which range from 0.90 to 2.53 ct. Necklace by Harry Winston; photo courtesy of Christie's. Color separations for Gems & Gemology are by Effective Graphics, Compton, CA. Printing is by Cadmus Journal Services, Easton, MD. 0 1996 Gemological Institute of America All rights reserved ISSN 0016-626 Editor-in-Chief Editor Editors, Gem Trade Lab Notes Richard T. Liddicoat Alice S. Keller Robert C. Kamnierling 1660 Stewart St. C. W. Fryer Associate Editors Santa Monica, CA 90404 William E. Boyajian Editors, Gem News (310) 829-299 1 x251 Robert C. IZammerling Robert C. Kammerling c-mail: [email protected] D. Vincent Mcinson John I. Koivula John Sinkankas Subscriptions Mary L. Johnson Technical Editor Jin Lim Cristina Chavira Editors, Book Reviews Carol M. Stockton (800)42 1-7250 x201 Susan B. Johnson Fax: (310) 453-4478 Jana E. Miyahira Assistant Editor Irv Dierdorff Contributing Editor Editor, Geinological Abstracts e-mail: [email protected] John I. Koivula C. W. Fryer Art Director Production Assistant Christine Troianello Gail Young G. Robert Crowningshiekl C. S. Hurlbut, Jr. A. A. Levinson New York, NY Can~lmdge,MA Calgary, Alberta, Canada Alan T. Collins Alan Jobbins Kurt Nassau London, United Kingdom Caterham, United Kingdom P.0. Lebanon, Nl Dennis Foltz Anthony R. Kampf George Rossman Santa Monica, CA Los Angeles, CA Pasadena, CA Emmanuel Fritsch Robert E. Kane Kenneth Scarratt Nantes, France Helena, MT Bangkok, Thailand C. W. Fryer John I. Koivula Karl Schinetzer Santa Monica, CA Santa Monica, CA Petershausen, Germany Henry A. Hiinni James E. 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Gems a) Gemology is puhlislicd quarterly by the Gemological Institute of America, a nonprofit educational organi- zation for the jewelry industry, 1660 Stewart Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404. Postmastei: Return unilelivcrahle copies of Gems et) Gelnology to 1660 Stcwait Street, Santa Monica, CA 70404, Any opinions expressed in signed articles are understood to bc the opinions of the authors and not of the publishers. Richard T ~iddicoit,Editor-in-Chief - The search for diamonds has been a preoccupation of wealth-seekers for count- less years. The early discoveries in India, Brazil, and South Africa clearly were fortuitous. More recent discoveries in Africa, as well as on other continents, also have had an element of luck, although many have been based on sound scientific principles. These principles have developed (slowly at first) since the 1870s, when the significance of the kimbcrlite pipes in South Africa was first recog- nized. In the late 1930s) on the basis of these same principles, Professor Vladimir Sobolev discerned the geologic similarities between the diamond-producing areas of South Africa and those of the Yakutia region-leading to the discovery and development of the prolific Siberian diamond mines since the 1950s. In the two-part article by Dr. Brain Janse, an internationally recognized expert in diamond exploration, the history of diamond discoveries on the entire African continent is discussed. As the "plot" unfolds, one is able to follow the evolution of the discovery and production of diamonds from an increasing number of African countries, as well as the fundan~entalgeologic concepts that now form the basis of all modern exploration programs, but throughout the world. The success of diamond exploration has been phenomenal, and some have expressed concern over the prospect of a gem diamond glut as production from new sources has become available. The influx of diamonds from Russia (since 1959),Botswana (since the early 1980~)~and Australia (sincethe mid-1980s) has increased the supply at a dramatic pace-since the mid-1980s alone, from less than 50 million to more than 100 million carats annually. Notwithstanding the continual increase in the supply of diamonds over more than a century, there has been no obvious effect on prices, nor on the appeal of diamonds to the buy- ing public (except, possibly, to make them even more appealing!).Demand for diamonds and diamond jewelry, fueled first and foremost by the American mar- ket, subsequently by the ~a~akesemarket (where present demand has been sti- fled by a pervasive recession), and, most recently, by other Pacific Rim countries, continues unabated. Thus, the market would be expected to absorb moderate increases in production from new discoveries without any significant distortion. Among diainantaires, there seems to be more concern (warranted or not) about the potential impact of jewelry-quality synthetic diamonds, should they ever . become available at a fraction of the price of natural stones. The second article in this issue, and the chart that accompanies it, represent how we at GIA feel that this challenge can best be tackled: through research and education. The well-informed jeweler-gemologist can be just as effective in controlling the impact of synthetic diamonds as the market has been in managing the influx of natural ones. Q 227 Editorial GEMS &. GEMOLOGY Winter 1995 IN AFRICA:PART I By A. J. A. (Bram) Janse For more than 100 years, Africa has pro- lthough diamonds have been known for more than duced large commercial quantities of dia- 2,000 years, with the earliest discoveries in India, monds and important individual stones. large-scale mining and distribution date only from The earliest official finds were made from the late 1860s and the first finds in Africa. For almost a centu- approximately 1867 onward, in sands and ry, Africa-and especially South AfricaÑdon~inate diamond gravels of the Orange and Vaal Rivers in production, representing more than 98% of world output South Africa. Subsequently, diamonds from 1889 to 1959. Many of the most famous stones ever to were found in "hard rock" kimberlites and, most recently, in off-shore deposits enter the gem market originated from these African deposits. along the western coast of South Africa In addition, much of our current knowledge about diamond and Namibia. Important discoveries have occurrences, exploration, and mining comes from the African been made in many other African coun- diamond fields. And the history of these discoveries is among tries. Angola, Botswana, Central African the richest in the archives of gemology. Republic, Ghana, Namibia, and Zaire The first reliable records of diamond finds in Africa date have now joined South Africa as being from the late 1860s ("Diamonds are trumps," April 18, 1867). among the top 10 dian~ond-producing These followed the earlier finds in India several centuries B.C. countries worldwide. Part I of this two- (recorded in Arthasastra and Ratnapariska Sanskrit texts, as part series examines the fascinating histo- reported in Legrand, 1984); Borneo in the 10th century A.D.