Cullinan Diamond Mine

The small mining village of Cullinan, located east of Pretoria, gained world-wide attention with the discovery on June 25 1905 of an incredible 3108 carat stone, dubbed the Cullinan Diamond - the largest uncut diamond ever found. Over the years more that 120 million carats have been mined.

Other notable gemstones unearthed from the Cullinan Mines include the 755 carat Golden Jubilee, the 600 carat Centenary, and the 530 carat Great Star of Africa and the Lesser Star of Africa, both cut from the Cullinan diamond itself.

Today, the giant open pit mine at Cullinan is four times larger than the famous Big Hole of Kimberley! The Cullinan Mine is still fully operational, and in fact still produces 25% of the world's gem-quality diamonds. The Cullinan Mine conducts public tours of both the surface and underground operations. Tour operators explain the geological processes that are responsible for the creation of these illustrious gems. Learn how these diamonds are extracted from the earth and about the delicate cutting operations done by master diamond cutters.

In the centre of the Cullinan Diamond Mine Village is the Cullinan Square, adorned with 8 frescoes painted by Italian prisoners of war. The nearby McHardy House Mini Museum contains family photographs antique furnishings from William McHardy who was the 1st general manager of the Cullinan Mines, previously known as the Premier Mine.

ADDRESS:
Premier Diamond Mine, Cullinan

A tour of the mine sheds some light on the process by which these most noble of the earths stones were formed under great pressure and heat millions of years ago, and on the way in which man extracts them from the earth and shapes them into the desirable objects