The Diamond Ring

This book is a history of the production and marketing of diamonds from the period of the "rush" to Kimberly and the rise of de Beers until the formation of the Central Selling Organization by South African producers and London and South African merchants.

'major contribution ... In his painstaking research through the dense and difficult thickets of official and business archives, Newbury provides a valuable and, sadly, rare insight into South African business history. The book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the development of the southern African economy after the 1880s.' Richard Rathbone, Princeton University, American Historical Review, February 1992

Inhalt
List of illustrations; list of tables; list of figures; list of maps; list of abbreviations; Introduction: Miners and Historians; Part I: Ownership and Governance 1867-1889: Diggers' democracy; Miners' oligarchy; Company consolidation; Part II: From Monopoly to Cartel 1890-1919: Production and marketing: De Beers Consolidated Mines and the Diamond Syndicate; A colonial company: Growth and diversification; Monopoly challenged: Premier (Transvaal); German South West Africa; Diamonds in wartime; Part III: Intervention and accomodation 1920-1945: `A wedge into the syndicate'; Alluvial mining; Crisis and reconstruction; Strategic mineral; Conclusion; Appendices; List of Sources used; Index