Situated on the R706, 110km southwest of Bloemfontein, Jagersfontein can be described as nothing less than `priceless'.  The original farm on which the town stands was once the property of a Griqua, Jacobus Jagers, hence the name Jagersfontein, Founded in 1870, Jagersfontein, is the world’s oldest diamond-mining town and the 1st place where diamonds were discovered in its mother stone or blue ground, or as its now known, Kimberlite.  Jagersfontein is the home of the BLUE-WHITE-JAGGER-DIAMOND. The largest numbers of the worlds biggest gem stone diamonds of exceptional quality were produced here. Of the ten biggest diamonds ever found in the world, two came from this mine.  In 1893, The “EXCELSIOR” diamond, a diamond of 972 carats was discovered and it was described as a stone of the purest water - today known as a blue white diamond. It’s present day value is estimated at approximately R 1,2 Billion.  In 1895, a 637 carat diamond, the Reitz Diamond was discovered here. It was first named after Francis William Reitz, then state president of the Orange Free State in which Jagersfontein was located. The following year marked the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria (the 60th anniversary of her coronation) so the gem was renamed the Jubilee Diamond to commemorate the occasion.  Al Capone & Elizabeth Taylor are amongst the many famous people through the years to have worn “JAGGER” diamonds. Founded in a diamond rush, the town still exudes the whiff of the pioneer diggertown.  Jagersfontein was a typical mining town of its time and it could offer its inhabitants all the pleasures and joys of similar towns elsewhere in the world. It had five big hotels and 34 bars, shops and businesses of all kinds, its own newspaper, turf club, theatre club and also a social life unequaled in the rest of the Free State.  It was the first town in the Free State to have electricity and a piped water supply. Sir Herbert Baker designed numerous buildings in Jagersfontein, amongst which are the Town Hall, The Dutch Reformed Church, several shops & the bank.  Jagersfontein has a big hole that was dug by hand from 1870 until 1909 & the top area measures 19,65ha in comparison to Kimberley’s 17ha hole. To view the hole, one gets pointed to the museum where the heritage of Jagersfontein is to the marvelous satisfaction in one’s inquisition, with olden day transportation & various tools that explain the presence of the world’s largest hand-dug vertical open mine.  Various other attractions and items of interest include the Masonic Lodge (the oldest Free State Masonic Lodge building), the Look Alive Tavern at Itumeleng, the Roman Catholic Church (built in 1881), Sun Street Itumeleng (one of the town's oldest streets), the Taxidermy Shop (one of the Free State`s most renowned) and The Glaasstudio(crafters in wire, beads and glass). |
