We toured the Cullinan Diamond mine! We did not get to go down into the mine but we did get to see the outside machinery. We had to wear hard hats and reflective vests and we had to blow into a machine that tested our breath for alcohol. The diamond mine was very loud. The diamonds are found in a rock called Kimberlite. The miners bring out 11,000 tons of Kimberlite from below the surface and get only a handful of diamonds each day!
They have 3 shafts but only two of them are in use. Shaft one is used to bring up the kimberlite and shaft 3 is used to bring down and up people. The shaft used for people has a giant elevator that can carry up to 103 people in one trip! One fact I learned that I found very interesting was that if a machine can’t fit in the elevator they will dismantle the machine, and re-build it below the surface! The kimberlite is brought to the surface via shaft one, then dumped onto a conveyor belt that goes to two more conveyor belts that go to the plant where the diamonds are harvested.
Overall I really enjoyed learning how diamonds go from sitting in a rock to in a ring or necklace. I would highly recommend touring or just visiting.