NEW DIAMOND FIND.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16848, 26 September 1922, Page 3

NEW DIAMOND FIND.

RUSH TO BRITISH GUIANA. British Guiana, and perhaps other parts of South America, will soon be a worthy rival of the Kimberley district of South Africa as a diamond field, according to William J. La Varre, of New York and Washington, who has just returned to New York with some 500 carats in rough stones, the value of which will be determined by the United States Appraisers' Stores. Mr La Varre (according to the New York ” Evening Mail ’*) originally discovered the prevalence of diamonds in British Guiana when he was evploring the jungle of the Amazon Valley for the Harvard expedition of 1916, bringing back the story that the country was "carpeted with them.” His latest trip has only strengthened him in his conclusions. Tie will remain in the United States for three months, then returning to South America with the backing of o syndicate which be* lieves there is a fortune to lie obtained there. On his return to New York on the Lamport and Holt liner Vauban, Mr I/a Y arre said the scenes about Georgetown, capital and chief port of British Guiana, must lie reminiscent of the early discovery of precious stones

in the Kimberley fields. Adventurers of all nationalities, he said, are flocking to British Guiana, almost every vessel bringing in eight or ten prospectors, who leave immediately for the jungle, diamond areas. ” The stones are alluvial diamonds.” he said. “ That is to sa.v they are deposited in the jungle earth by rushing water. The biggest I have found, a 30-carat gem, has been, like others, carried down the Mazaruni River from volcanic craters in which carbon formations have been crystallised by the terrific heat of

erupted lava. The diamonds are of varying colours—white. pink. blue, yellow, green, or biack. Just now there are about 9,000 negroes searching for diamonds in the creek beds and along the banks of the Mazaruni River. They usually test the stones with their strong teeth, rejecting anything that they can crush. The diamond resists their efforts, and they put it aside. All of them are not lucky, of course, hut many are. Frequently the fortunate ones come down to Georgetown and dispose of quantities of rough diamonds worth from 4.000 dollars to -5.000 dollars. Then they try to buy up the town ” The natives are peaceable. Mr La. Vsrro said, and ire not- to be feared, but there is.dnnTer from fever, jungle insect-. and be passed on one's way up tho river The 30-carat stone which he has brought back is the largest that ha* ever bean taken from South America.