Treasures of the Diamond Coast
A Century of Diamond Mining in Namibia
Gabi Schneider
ISBN 9789991609683
Published by Namibia Publishing House in 2009
Hardcover, 25 x 33 cm, 320 pages, throughout illustrations and photos
Diamonds have been mined in Namibia for an entire century. The secret of the wealth of the diamond deposits sustaining mining for such a long time is the fact that the country has been blessed with the most incredible geological processes. They have worked together over millions of years to form an ore body unequalled in size or quality by any other occurrence of this most precious of all gemstones. But the treasures of the Namibian coast remained hidden for a long time. This all changed one day in April 1908, when Zacharias Lewala discovered the first diamond. Since then, the coastal stretch between Lüderitz and Oranjemund has developed into one of the most important diamond-producing areas in the world. Today, Namibia is also the world’s technological leader in mining diamonds from the seabed.
This book, full of historic maps, sketches and photos, gives a detailed account of the history of the Namibian Diamond Coast, covering geological, technological, economical as well as human aspects.
