Rhodesia Philately: Emeralds

Emeralds were discovered in Rhodesia in 1956. Prospectors Laurence Contat and Cornelius Oosthuizen were attracted by the offerings that the Rhodesian government was making at the time to prospectors of metals and gemstones.

Within ten days of their arrival to the area and beginning to dig in what they considered the most favourable location full of large pegmatites, the duo were directed by an African man named Chiwaro to emerald deposits near Belingwe. Seven months later they hit upon a second, much larger, deposit.

The first samples were taken to Mr. A. E. Phaup of the Geological Survey Office at Gwelo, who confirmed the gem’s nature. The Department of Mines was then informed, but the Rhodesia & Nyasaland Government was not very much interested in this find until they heard that Contat and Oosthuizen had sent emeralds worth about US$15,000 to New York.

An ordinance was then passed in February, 1958, by which all precious stones in Rhodesia were subject to the same control regulations as those in South Africa. At first the rumours mentioned a diamond find, but when the law was gazetted on 25 April 1958, it was known everywhere that emeralds had been found.