Diamond fever South African province turns out to be quartz fever

Last week, the suspected diamond discovery led to an influx of thousands of South Africans in a village in the KwaZulu-Natal province. As it turns out, the diamond rush was unjustified. It’s not about diamonds, but about quartz crystals, say government researchers.

Unlike diamond, quartz is one of the most abundant minerals in the world. The price is therefore only a fraction of that of diamond.

The area where the stones were found has a lot of poverty and high unemployment. Local residents therefore fervently hoped that it was diamonds, but the government is putting an end to that hope.

The possible discovery of diamonds mobilized thousands of people:

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