AUSTRALIAN DIAMONDS.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 626, 22 January 1870, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN DIAMONDS.

■By the last mail steamer, Messrs Fiavelle Bros, and Roberts, of Sydney, says the 8. M. Herald, have received from their London house twenty diamonds, sent home by tlieni from this colony, about seven months ago, to be cut by the lapidary. These stones, found in various localities on the Macquarie River, in the Western district, have, we understand, been greatly admired . by Professor Tennant, the talented lecturer on mineralogy at King's College, Loudon, who has been moved by the sight of these gems greatly to modify his original opinions in regard to Australia as a diamond - producing country. Most of the leading diamondmerchants in London also manifested the greatest interest in this the first shipment of diamonds from Australia of any inn portance, and pronounced the stones to be quite equal to any diamonds from any part of the world, These sparkling gems, which have been thus brought back to Australia, have been cut in the highest style of lapidarian art — in such a manner that they to be really luminous. The great majority of them are of the very purest water. One of these diamonds, weighing two and a-half carats, is much admired for the purity of its water, and its faultless shape and perfect luminosity. The success which has been attendant upon this enterprise of Messrs Mavelle Bros, and Roberts, will doubtless lend an increased impetus to the diamond trade of ithis colony, Mr Hunt has at length succeeded in finding a couple of diamonds with his diamond machine, near the Cement-hill, Sebastopol, remarks the Ovens Spectator. "They were weighed at Mr Turner's, jeweller, Camp street, Beechworth, on 30th ult, and one which was rather rough, weighed half a carat and decimal 32 ; the other and smaller one, which was of a very good color and lustre, weighed one quarter of a carat and decimal 32. These are, of course, not intrinsically of any great value, but they afford additional proof that diamonds exist there, and that Mr Hunt's machines can save them. Besides, Mr Hunt found in the same place about a quarter of a pound weight of topanes, sapphires, garnets, barkle3 r ite, zircons, aud other gems. Some of the sapphires were very handsome." Mr Hunt informed the Spectator that he has seen a very handsome diamond, obtained near the same place, with a Chinaman, who has had it for ten years without knowing its nature, just picked by chance out of his cradle, which weighs l£ carats.