THE DIAMONDS OF THE CAPE (1897)

This sought-after book consisted of seven chapters analyzing the history and geology of the deposits of Cape, financial and commercial organization of the Cape diamond mining and diamond industry, and giving great importance to the methods of extraction, exploitation, processing and recovery of South African diamonds. The work also includes a general examination of the geological origin of the diamond, its mode of formation in nature and its synthetic reproduction in laboratories. The author, a mining engineer, geologist and speleologist, specialist in mineral deposits and the author of a famous book "The Transvaal Gold Mines" (1896), treats the subject in a very technical and detailed manner.

The work is accompanied by numerous in-text photographic illustrations, maps and plans of mines, diagrams and tables, plus three full-page photographic plates and several large sketches of sections of the grinding workshop at the mines. With a multiple folding plate entitled "Compagnie de Beers Cons. - General surface area of mining installations and depot lands". Including a double-page table with statistics of a diamond production in South African mines (by companies) and double-page table with "Main operating results at De Beers Consolitated Company". This is an extremely rare copy of this precious work, hard to find even in National and University Libraries - and the only copy selling on internet!

CHAPTERS:

I. HISTORY AND CURRENT COMMERCIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE CAPE DIAMOND INDUSTRY (with sections: The diamond question; Summary of global production; Discovery of diamonds in Cape Town; Strange aspect of the early works; Attempts to merge the various companies; Formation of the de Beers Consolidated Co.; Financial organization of this company; its profits; its reserves; The diamond merchants' syndicate; Price of rough diamonds; The Jagersfontein Co.; Secondary mines of southern Africa);

II. GEOLOGY OF THE DEPOSITS (with sections: Diamond pipes; Perforation of the cylindrical void and its filling with diamond-bearing rock; Distribution of diamonds; their grade; various observations on the state of the diamonds; Associated minerals; Floating reefs; Importance of their study and conclusions to be drawn for the future of mining);

III. DIAMOND MINING METHODS (with sections: Old systems; New method; Underground mining; Extraction and timbering; Dynamite; Exhaustion; Ventilation; Cost price);

IV. ORE PROCESSING (with sections: Spreading on the floors; Soft (soft blue) and hard (hard blue and lump) rocks; Processing of soft ore: screening; pan washing; concentration; hand sorting; New grinding system for hard ores; The water issue);

V. WORKERS. MEASURES TO PREVENT DIAMOND THEFT (with sections: Whites, Blacks, and Convicts; Compounds; Precautions against theft; Diamond trade laws in the Cape Colony);

VI. VARIOUS DIAMOND DEPOSITS OUTSIDE SOUTHERN AFRICA: BRAZIL, INDIA, BORNEO, ETC. (with sections: General observations on the geology of diamond deposits and their age; - Deposits of Brazil: History, mining centers, deposits, current state of the industry, exploitation and processing; - Deposits of India: History, mining centers, deposits. - Deposits of Borneo and Australia);

VII. GEOLOGICAL CONCLUSIONS. METHOD OF FORMATION OF DIAMONDS AT THE CAPE. SYNTHETIC REPRODUCTION.

"Les Diamants de Cape. [Historique; Organisation Financiere et Commerciale; Geologie; Mode d'exploitation et de traitement, comparaison avec les gisements du Bresil, de l'Inde, de Borneo et d'Australie.]"; Red cloth hardcovers. Gilt titles on the front cover and spine; Text in French; Collation complete - Title page, VII, 239 pages, including illustrations, maps, tables, diagrams, and folding plans; Binding is tight and firm, light and ordinary signs of age and use. Small cut corresponding to the binding line on the top margin of the first flyleaf (front hinge), tiny piece of adhesive tape repairing a small cut on the vertical margin of the first page of the preface. Pages with some age taning and occasioanl small yellow stains, otherwise the text block is clear, without stamps, annotations or other marks in the text. A sound copy.

IMPORTANT informations regarding shipping: Shipping to South Africa possible via national post ($40) or Fedex/DHL Express service ($80-120). Shipping to EU & UK via registered Airmail trackable parcel ($30-40). Shipping to US via USPS ($40). For other countries please ask.