Famous Engagement Rings and Diamonds - Eureka

Famous Engagement Rings and Diamonds - Eureka

The Eureka diamond is cut from the first diamond ever found in South Africa. Amazing now to think how many diamonds for Engagement Rings come from South Africa. The original stone was 21.25 carats, it is now 10.73 carats. The Eureka diamond was discovered in 1867, is brownish yellow in Diamond Colour and is a cushion-shaped brilliant. This diamond has great historical importance in South Africa now that it has a huge diamond industry.

Famous Engagement Rings and Diamonds - Eureka - Discovery

The diamond was found by a 15 year old boy called Erasmus Jacobs whose father owned a farm on a river. Erasmus treated the stone as a toy. Erasmus’ mother did notice the shine in the stone but offered it to their neighbour Van Niekerk (who had an interest in stones) saying ‘You can keep the stone if you want it’.

Van Niekerk and John O’Reilly took the stone to Colesberg to discover its value. The acting Civil Commissioner Lourenzo Boyes saw that the stone could cut glass and declared ‘I believe it to be a diamond’. The diamond was then sent in a paper envelope in the post to the colony’s foremost mineralogist in Grahamstown. It was confirmed as a 21.25 carat diamond.

I’m thinking Erasmus Jacobs could have made multiple diamond Engagement Rings from the Eureka Diamond! If only he knew. Van Niekerk was a very lucky man indeed.