The Star of South Africa

It’s hard to imagine, but there was a time when the prevailing thought in South Africa was that diamonds were only found as a result of large birds flying over head and dropping them there. This belief changed with the discovery of the Star of South Africa.

It was the mid-1800s, and England believed there was little potential in the mining possibilities of South Africa. However, by the late 1860s there were enough reports of discoveries of significant diamonds to warrant further investigation by Parliament.

At the same time, there were those in South Africa who did not want investigations of any sort into the discovery of South African diamonds. In fact, it was common practice for the earliest diamond miners to ship diamonds to another destination before they were sent to the intended destination, in order to disguise their origin.

Parliament hired J.R. Gregory to investigate. After what Gregory publicly stated was a thorough investigation of the diamond mining potential of South Africa, he concluded, very plainly, that none existed.

Speculation ran rampant among South Africa’s diamond community as to what Gregory’s motives were. Only days after Gregory’s report was made public, a diamond of eighty-three and one half carats was found in the very region Gregory had purportedly investigated. It was called “The Star of Africa.”

In a meeting of South Africa’s Parliament, a statement referred to the Star of South Africa as, “[this] diamond, gentlemen, is the rock upon which the future prosperity of South Africa will be built.” As for J.R. Gregory, the discovery gave him the dubious honor of having gross misjudgments known henceforth as to “do a Gregory.”