Some of the most famous diamonds were found in South Africa

To visit a full operational diamond mine was a highlight when I was in South Africa in April. Cullinan is a small, but pleasant diamond town not far from either Johannesburg or Pretoria. It can easily be visited as a half day tour from either of these cities. The discovery of the Cullinan Diamond is what made this mine famous. This diamond is now part of the British Crown Jewels. The open pit mining in Cullinan started in 1903 and the Cullinan Diamond was found in 1905. I have chosen to show photoes from the walking tour around the old mine. To me this was the most interesting part of the tour, except from the small church.

We discovered that this is a high-security area. We were equipped with helmets and vests. Before we could get in, we also had to take an alcohol test. The miners do it every day. We were told that Cullinan focuses on health and safety to minimize injuries and mishaps.

Our guided tour took us to a room with copies of diamonds and photos of the mining.She also gave quite detailed iInformation about diamonds. How they are shaped and how they are cut to become jewels. Copies of some of diamonds found here in Cullinan were on display. The guide also gave us some numbers when it came to how much the mine produce etc. After this informative visit the guide took us on a walking tour to the oldest part of the mine where it all started. The buildings and equipment is still here, but it's not operational anymore. The newer part where it's all done today was closed to visitors.

The largest diamond that has been found in South Africa was found here in the Cullinan Mine on 26th of January 1905. It was named after the owner Thomas Cullinan. We were told that this particular diamond was given to the British Royal family and later cut into five pieces. The largest is found in the royal septre and this piece is called Great Star of Africa. The second largest is found in the crown.

After the visit we drove through some of the streets. It is a charming town, even some of the old, beautiful houses now function as cafees or tourist souvenir shops. The only stop was by this little, but beautiful church.

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All the photoes are mine, Ulla Jensen (flickr, Instagram and facebook)

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