#Diamond rush jewelry movie#

Fipke staked one million diamond-rich acres and De Beers staked over 10 million surrounding acres, all for nothing. Fipke was correct and De Beers became the victim of its South African geologists. By studying glacier maps and finding a rock from over 500 kilometers away, Fipke concluded the diamonds were from a distant location. When De Beers found hot mineral indicators, it believed the kimberlite pipes would be close. What was De Beers doing throughout this process? The book discloses the mistakes De Beers made in locating diamonds in Canada. He correlated the data with published figures of known gem qualities to create an accurate chemical profile.

He collected rock samples from all the known diamond pipes and analyzed them via micro probe research at Cape Town University. Without alerting De Beers, an associate geologist was sent to South Africa to conduct secret research on diamonds. Using these indicators, together with the theories of a Russian diamond geologist and surveys from a Canadian geologist, Fipke became convinced that Canada possessed diamonds. He would extensively sample large areas of promising topography to look for indicators, or more specifically, diamond indicators. His theories provided a quantum leap in the location of geological products. While working in the field, Fipke devised a theory to dramatically improve the odds of finding gemstones, minerals, and precious metals. Until the Canadian find, the gem production of diamonds was from about ten commercially viable pipes with only two being the real producers. Kimberlite pipes are rare and only 1 percent possess gem quality diamonds. Of course, diamonds are found in kimberlite pipes. Fire Into Ice gives us an insider's first hand account of the details of how the story unfolds. It tells of problems created as Canada kept changing its tax laws, and the trials of exploration being shut down during Canada's brutal winters.

Fire Into Ice documents the machinations of funding an exploration company at the Vancouver Stock Exchange, an exchange known for its scams and frauds, and details countless joint venture mutations gone awry. (BHP), invested $700 million searching for diamonds in Canada. What we do not know is how we got there, or why the Australian mining giant, Broken Hill Proprietary Co. It ends at Ekati, a mile-wide crater in the tundra 125 miles south of the Arctic Circle. He also spent time in Tanzania buying tanzanite and ruby. For example, Fipke details his involvement in the Lightning Ridge Black Opal discovery in Australia and how he acquired a black opal for $15 in 1972 that was probably worth $3,000 per carat at the time. I was particularly interested in the parts where he bought or traded for colored gemstones. The second part of the book is of most interest to diamond dealers and those in the jewelry business, as it describes Fipke's fascination with gemstones. Plus, the book details numerous examples of harrowing escapes from wild animals and contains picturesque descriptions of the flora and fauna in remote jungles, barren deserts, and Arctic locations. It is fascinating to read about the interactions of the local people with the high technology of the West.

#Diamond rush jewelry movie#

Some of the more intriguing scenes remind me of the old Michael Caine and Sean Connery movie 'The Man Who Would Be King.' Fipke shared world views with these native people on numerous subjects, such as religion, shamans, women, sex, death, and even cannibalism. I found his account of the time he spent with the Forest Pygmies and San Bushman in Africa riveting. The book weaves its way through numerous encounters with native people of the world from Papua New Guinea, South Africa, and South America. It is actually two books in one, as Fipke is also part anthropologist and social scientist. Truthfully, have you ever thought of a geologist as a romantic adventurer? Did you know a world class geologist must possess the investigative skills of Sherlock Holmes? Your image of geology will be changed for good once you read the real-life saga of Canadian geologist Charles Fipke, a modern Indiana Jones-type adventurer.įire Into Ice details the trials and tribulations of Charles Fipke's nearly 20-year quest for diamonds.