Do you know of diamond-related legends with names?

[Tratt]

I'm interested in knowing about lost diamond caves and caches that allegedly contain partly diamonds anywhere in the world, and especially the full names of people who used to know their location and when those people lived. In many tales that I've read diamonds have been involved but often there are no names mentioned. Many pirate treasure stories for example did involve names and diamonds.

If anything pops up that you would like to share please do.

 

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[Crow]

Hello Tratt

I know quite a few yarns about lost diamonds. But May I ask what is the fascination for just diamond legends?

Crow

 

[Tratt]

Good diamonds are most valuable of all treasure in relation to weight and size, that has been my assumption after preliminary look into prices of things. But I'm not entirely sure. I think they're most handy $$$ ever. A red diamond could be worth a ton of gold. I would also add that shipwrecks are not what I'm looking for because they are not accessible in the same way as land stashes.

 

[Crow]

Hello Tratt

Ya interested in yarn dating back to the beginning of the last century?

Crow

 

[Tratt]

Yes, any period of time goes.

 

[Crow]

Hello Tratt

Have heard the story of hidden hoard of stolen De beers diamonds buried on a small island off the coast of West Africa?

Crow

 

[Tratt]

No, but I'm gonna hear it soon?

 

[garren]

How about this from Aug 14, 1891? A news article from a New Orleans newspaper. Kinda hard to read though.

 

[Tratt]

Well that bag of diamonds was tossed into about 14 feet deep water according to text. And if it was in newspaper like that, people had every chance of finding it already.

 

[Crow]

Hello garren thanks for that diamond story. I had not herd that story before.

Tratt patience my friend....

The following story has possile beginings in meeting between two of the most influential men in Africa in the 19th century.

Cecil John Rhodes Born on the 5 July 1853 – 26 March 1902, was an English businessman, mining magnate and politician in South Africa. He was the founder of the diamond company De Beers, which today markets 40% of the world's rough diamonds and at one time marketed 90%.

He was an ardent believer in British colonialism, he was the founder of the southern African territory of Rhodesia which was named after him in 1895. Hey not many people can claim they had a country claimed after him

Being in such a position power he became the powerful force as a states man in Southern Africa. In one such conflict between the Boers and Mogato, the paramount chief of the Zoutpansborg, and who controls an army of 30,000 native warriors, was determined to " resist the influence of the Boer government of Transvaal, who feared Boer reversal of policy would create a native uprising. Sadly history tells us a war did ensue called the Magato War.

Rhodes at the time was interested in keeping the peace because of his mining interests in his De Beers diamond mines visited the chief. In course of the conversation ith Magato while visiting him, Magato showed Rhoades a bucketfull of diamonds. Rhodes tried many times after to buy this treasure but Magato always refused. Many others tried with the same results. It must of been a bit of up yours to Rodes because Magato openly told him the diamonds was pilfered by his native workers who worked at Rhodes de Beer Diamond mines.

Magato in a war with boers died around 1895 and it was said he divided up the diamonds in the Parcels for his most loyal surviving followers to hide them from the greedy whitemen. One such white man was alegely a Boer officer called Swartz who paid with his life in the attempt to search for some of the diamonds. The Second Boer war broke out that spelt the end of the Boer republics. Rhodes died in 1902 and The story of Magato's diamonds was largely forgotten in the horrors of the second Boer war.


Or had it?

By 1904 a newspaper story came out about Rhodes encounter with Magato.

To be cont....

Crow

 

[Tratt]

The name Swartz and lost diamonds was mentioned in the beginning of this article about Kruger millions, I didn't get how diamonds and Kruger's gold are related to each other.
President Paul Kruger and Kruger millions

Anyway, rough diamonds are highly illegal to possess in South Africa, and there are some limitations in what one can legally do with gold too. I think only specific official types of gold bars can be bought and sold, so what to do if you find uncut/unpolished diamonds or gold...
New law boosts gold bar sale in South Africa | [url]www.commodityonline.com | 3[/url]

Such diamonds have to be taken to police they say, or face maximum of 10 years in prison and/or fines. Maybe same applies to gold if it's not in specific form like Krugerrands and bars with serial numbers. Kruger's treasure was in Krugerrands was it not? So those could be perhaps sold as they are. Unless it's some old banned type not in circulation anymore.
MetCon Refinery - Frequently Asked Questions

From the site below: "General citizens, Damarupurshad commented, can only ‘possess’ precious metal in the wrought form as jewellery, or in the legal tender form as Krugerrands and other legal tender precious-metal coins."
http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/ar...rged-to-review-gold-ownership-laws-2004-11-19

 

[Crow]

Hello Tratt

Thank you for the interesting links

Your a little too hasty my friend. You make too many asumptions.

Swartz was a fairly common Boer name there might not be no connection to the krugers millions legend story at all? Some times my friend over time authors merge treasure legends together. The story of swartz finding a parcel of diamonds could of been be part of magatos missing diamonds. The Kruger millions stories is a convoluted story that for now best left alone as it deserves its own thread as it is an interesting treasure legend its itself.

As for legalities of such a treasure today that is based on the asumptions of this alleged treasure is still with in the legal confirms of South Africa does it not?

Now just continuing this treasure yarn....

crow

 

[grantler]

i Tratt,
How about some books :-)
The Diamont Dakota Mystery by Juliet Wills (missing Diamonds in Northern Australia )
The Hinges Creaked by Eric Rosenthal (has Diamond Story´s in S.Africa)
Somthing Rich and Strange by Lawrence G. Green (has Diamond Story in S.Africa)
A Calabash of Diamonds by Margeret Lane ( An African Treasure Hunt )
The Seven Lost Trails of Africa by Hedley A. Chilvers (has a few Diamand story´s in S.Africa )
All books are NON Fiction ,it´s all about Treasure Hunting .! :-)
Then there is the Lost Cities .........series by David Hatcher Chidress with some Diamond Storýs
I know there is much more in the old books ,but takes time to look them all up !
Hope this will help a bit and keep you busy for a while :-)))
regards
grantler

 

[Tratt]

So pretty much all have diamonds stories in SA, exactly where they should not be (in a way). I bought "The hinges creaked" to have a look.

 

[Crow]

Hello Tratt

Not all missing diamond legends are connected to South Africa. It is just a fact about 90% of diamonds mined in 19th 20th century came from South Africa. So many such diamond treasure stories would be connected to South Africa. But there are few diamond stories from other counties. Looted Nazi diamonds from Europe. White Russian diamonds being smuggled and sold via New York in the early 1920s. There is a missing diamond story in Broome Australia there is post here about the topic some years ago. About missing diamonds from Dutch Indonesia. There would not be many diamond stories connected United states. Another story about looted diamonds ending up in Japan after WW2. I should make you aware the biggest diamond heist was undertaken in Amsterdam Netherlands and those gems as far as I am aware have not turned up. Another was in France at the during early 1970s that have never turned up.

crow

 

[grantler]

Well said Crow,
I know one WW 2 Story here in the Alpes .
and the one from Broom is the: The Diamont Dakota Mystery
Also true all the russian and Tsar Treasures lost after the last Romanow´s where killed in 1918 .
"The lost Fortunes of the Tsars" by William Clarke
Can´t remember of any Story´s in the USA
Maybe I find one next weekend (more time to look through the books :-)) )
grantler

 

[lastleg]

Tratt, the Cache Forum had a diamond yarn going for almost a year and it was in the US. It concerned
Nazi pillaged diamonds brought to America in a submarine. The author claims the diamonds are still
at large near a lighthouse on the east coast.

 

[Crow]

Hello Tratt

Finishing the yarn about the fate of Magatos diamonds. It seems Rhodes himself was slightly peeved that this chief had been ripping off his diamonds. Not long after a dying seaman claimed that there was hidden stash off the coast of Africa. It seems more than one party got wind of it.
.
The British Earl Fitzwilliam was notorious for his infamous and tragic and reckless treasure hunting expedition Cocos Island was allegedly connected to this treasure legend. In several newspapers in 1906 there were reports of expedition sailing to the coast of Namibia in search for a lost cache of diamonds on an island offshore. Was this true or just a cover for his Cocos treasure hunting expedition?

The steamer Zemas fitted out at Cardiff Wales with a crew of 45 with plant and equipment by a w Griffiths who had information passed onto him via an old sea captain called Jones who on his death bed pertaining to diamonds being buried on island off Namibian coast. A syndicate was formed among judges and peers and allegedly bankrolled by lord Fitzwilliam.

The island called Mercury Island and in the early days it was mined for guano and little caves are all over this tiny island. A sea man called Powell allegedly recovered 10000 dollars’ worth of diamonds from the island. Who eventually showed Captain Jones the diamonds? The diamonds did not look de beers diamonds mined on the coast. However others believed the diamonds were pilfered from the De Beers diamond mines in the Kimberly.

Griffith was prevented to search for the diamond because of Boer war, and in 1906 attempted to recover the diamonds in a race against another syndicate formed in South Africa.
Were any of the syndicates successful?

Perhaps there is still a fortune of diamonds hidden on a tiny storm battered islet covered in guano off the coast Namibia?

Crow

 

[Tratt]

So to name someone who could have known the exact location on the island, sea captain Jones and seaman Powell. Do you know their first names or other relevant names?

 

[Crow]

Hello Tratt

Indeed I do... But in everyone's life there comes a time where you cant expect to be spoon fed forever. You have more than enough clues and leads to follow if you are inclined to do so. You my friend have opportunities beyond your wildest imagination right at your finger tips. Enjoy the thrill of the search my friend as some times it is the journey and not the destination that really matters.

If only I had that so many years ago. You are staring right now into the best treasure researching tool available. It can lead you to journals, books, newspapers, archival records, shipping birth deaths and marriages. Seek and ye shall find...

is the treasure hunters creed, So endth the lesson.

Crow