Gems that sparked diamond-rush in South Africa turn out to be quartz

Diamonds aren’t forever: Gems that sparked diamond-rush in South Africa turn out to be quartz

• Thousands rushed to a hillside after a cattle herder thought he found diamonds
• Government sent geoscientists and mining experts to collect testing samples
• Initial findings show the gemstones are quartz, an inexpensive mineral

Gemstones that sparked a diamond rush in South Africa last week have turned out to be just quartz, preliminary findings show.

Thousands from across the country flocked to a hillside in KwaZulu-Natal province to dig for mysterious stones first unearthed by a cattle herder and believed to be diamonds.

The rush prompted the government to send geoscientists and mining experts to collect samples for testing.

 People travelled from across the country last week to join villagers in KwaHlathi in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province digging for stones, which turned out to be quartz

Locals dug for days after a herd man found the first stone in an open field and put out the word

 More than 1,000 fortune seekers flocked to the South African village in search of what they believed to be diamonds

The results quashed the dreams of diggers hoping to come up with a fortune.

‘The tests conducted conclusively revealed that the stones discovered in the area are not diamonds,’ a local government statement said.

‘In fact, what has been discovered are quartz crystals,’ it said, noting that the potential value of the stones would be ‘very low’ compared to diamonds.

Before the report, some people had already started selling the stones, with the starting price ranging from 100 rand (£5.15) to 300 rand (£15.46). 

Quartz, the second most abundant mineral in the earth’s crust, is inexpensive and diggers would be unlikely to make much money from their finds, unlike diamonds which could have fetched thousands.

 Before the report, some people had already started selling the stones, with the starting price ranging from 100 rand (£5.15) to 300 rand (£15.46)

The rush prompted the government to send geoscientists and mining experts to collect samples for testing 

Quartz crystals were common across a sedimentary basin known as the Karoo Supergroup, which stretches over the site 

The report said the site – 190 miles southeast of Johannesburg – sat near a sill of volcanic rock named dolerite ‘which is not in a zone where diamond occurences are present’.

It added that quartz crystals were common across a sedimentary basin known as the Karoo Supergroup, which stretches over the site, and particularly abundant along dolerite sill.

The prospect of finding a diamond had sent ripples of hope across one of South Africa’s poorest regions and beyond.

The diamond rush ‘highlighted the socio-economic challenges confronting people in the area’ 

The country, renowned for its mineral wealth, has struggled with decades of spiralling unemployment 

The country, renowned for its mineral wealth, has struggled with decades of spiralling unemployment worsened by the coronavirus pandemic.

The diamond rush ‘highlighted the socio-economic challenges confronting people in the area’, the statement said.

Local officials have vowed to respond to issues raised by the community during their visit, particularly around road quality and water access.

The government has meanwhile reiterated calls for people to vacate the area, citing coronavirus risks and environmental degradation.

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