Information about the Premier Diamond Mine The Premier Diamond Mine is a South African underground diamond mine which is owned by De Beers and established in 1902. The mine is situated in the town of Cullinan which is located 40 kilometres east of Pretoria in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. The famous Cullinan Diamond was also found at the Premier Diamond Mine in 1905. One hundred years after its opening, in November 2003, the Premier Diamond Mine was renamed the Cullinan Diamond Mine to celebrate its centenary. How the Allnatt Diamond was formed The De Beers mine in South Africa, where the Allnatt diamond was found, is situated on an ancient volcanic pipe. Diamonds are formed when extreme heat and extreme pressure cause carbon atoms to crystallize forming diamonds approximately ninety miles under the earth's surface. Diamonds reach the surface of the earth via volcanic pipes, or channels. Yellow Diamonds Colored diamonds contain impurities or structural defects that cause the coloration. The most common impurity, nitrogen, causes a slight to intense yellow coloration depending upon the type and concentration of nitrogen present. Natural yellow diamonds contain the element nitrogen (N). Major Allnatt Major Alfred Ernest Allnatt, a British Millionaire was well known as a sporting man, owning many racehorses, a benefactor and a patron of the arts. His generosity and patronage can be illustrated by his involvement in a famous Rubens painting. In 1959 Major Allnatt bought the 1634 painting of the Adoration of the Magi by Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish Baroque Era Painter, 1577-1640) from the estate of the Duke of Westminster for a record £275,000. In 1961 Major Allnatt presented the painting of Adoration of the Magi by Rubens to King's College Chapel at Cambridge University, England. The painting measures 4.2 metres high by 3.2 wide. The painting by Caravaggio called `Salome with the Head of St John the Baptist' was bought in 1970 from Major AE Allnatt by the National Gallery in London. |