Cullinan Diamond Mine

We havent been to a Diamond Mine before, so I thought it would be fun to visit one and see how they mine for diamonds.... We took a trip to a nearby town called Cullinan, and paid up for a tour to visit the local diamond mine. The tour was R220 per person, and included a safari ride around the mine to show guests different parts of the mining process. Was quite an interesting trip, but it may have been more fun if we paid for the underground mining tour which cost R450 per head (minimum 4 persons).... maybe another time...

At the entrance to the mine's restricted area.

The Cullinan Diamond - Largest gem diamond ever found

Some of the miners that were working on replacing a cable used for pulling the trolley loads of kimberlite (where diamonds are found) from the earth...

With our hardhats on - to be on the safeside...

the open mine at Cullinan -
apparently the fourth largest open mine in the world

A replica of the Cullinan Diamond -
the diamond was cut into 9 large pieces and 96 other small pieces.
However, over 60% of the original weight of the diamond was lost in the process.

Caroline at the Diamond shop