It was opened in 1902 and ,apart from short period of closure between 1914 and 1916, and again between 1932 and the end of the second world war, it has constantly produced many diamonds.In 1995 the mine ranked third ,behind Venetia and Finsch, producing over 1,6 million ct, or about 18% of South African production, at an average grade of 44,6 cpht (De Beers Annual Report 1995). The most impressive statistic of the mine's production is the number of large stone produced. The mines has produced about 300 stones of over 100 ct, and a quarter of all the stones ever mined of over 400 ct (engineering news 24/04/92).
Among the outstanding diamonds produced are the 137 ct Premier Rose ,cut from a 353 ct stone, the Niarchos, cut from a 426 ct stone and the 599 ct De Beers centenary. The mine has produced about 300 stones of over 100 ct, and a quarter of all the diamond, named by De Beers chair man JuliaOgilvie Thompson in 1988. The most famous ct was the Great Star of Africa which was 530 ct.
