Washington
29 September 2008
Gems come in all sizes, colors and shapes, but they have one thing in common, they shine and sparkle as they catch the light, dazzling the beholder. But, this is not how they start out. Gem stones are forged deep in the earth and, in the rough, appear unremarkable to the untrained eye. But, those in the know can spot a jewel and foresee its travels from the mine shaft, the river bed, the gravel pit to the jeweler's display case. Sonja Pace, with additional reporting by Mandy Clark, narrates this story of the birth of a gem stone and the beginnings of its journey. (Part 2 of 5)
Peter Sedibane has worked in the mines for 32 years. Speaking in his native Setswane, he says life as a miner is not bad.
"My kids stay here with me and my wife stays back home, but she comes to stay with us for three months and then goes back home to take care of the rest of the family," he explains. And, that's the way it's been for generations.
"So, lots of families had to be patient with their fathers being away, and so if anybody is out there to look and find out where their great-great grandparents were in the diamond era time, they can come here and remember what their parents and their great-grandparents did for their future," says Phenyo Marumo, marketing manager at the Kimberley Mine Museum.
"Often you'll get there and they will show you the diamonds, and they will say 'this is so many million,'" she says, "and you come back the next day, and then it is [substituted with] glass."
Once the trader is satisfied that the diamonds are real, the deal is made and the diamonds move on. The dealer weighs them and ships them off to be cut. "I've now valued these diamonds," said Chaveau. "Now, we're parceling them to go off to India."
And, the gem's journey continues from the African mines to Asia and beyond.