With football fever a mere hours away, and as soccer fans worldwide count down to the kickoff of the FIFA World Cup games in Johannesburg, it seems it was only a matter of time before "Splendor in the Grass" would go from being a classical American film to a description of a the ultimate mesh between diamonds and soccer.

  
A South African jeweler, who is evidently a huge soccer fan, has designed a life-size World Cup football completely covered in diamonds. 

The sparkling $267,000 sphere is made from 6,620 white diamonds and 2,640 black, round brilliant cut diamonds, giving a total weight of 3,500 carats.

The diamond encrusted ball weighs about 2.2 kg and jeweler Yair Shimansky said the creation was – for obvious reasons, "not designed for any goal kicking practice."
Shimansky is reportedly in talks with a leading European football club, which is interested in buying the diamond-covered football as a commemorative, 2010 World Cup display piece, for their club.

Though one of a kind, crystal replicas of the life-size diamond football will be featured in the jeweler's seven South African stores, for the duration of the World Cup games – which run from June 11 to July 11. 

Once the World Cup games conclude, the replicas will be auctioned, with all proceeds going to each regional store's charity of choice.

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The history of one of the most famous diamonds that was once part of the Dutch Crown Jewels is somewhat ambiguous: the diamond in question – dubbed the "Queen of Holland", after Queen Wilhelmina, who ruled between 1890 and 1948 – was a 135.92-carat cushion-cut diamond owned by Dutch firm F. Friedman & Company, which cut it in 1904 and named it "in memory of one of the greatest rulers of modern Netherlands."

The exquisite gem was featured in the 1925 Paris Exhibition of Arts and Industry.

As for the origin of the royal stunner, it is believed it was mined in South Africa, but no one really knows how it came to arrive in Amsterdam. The common theory is that it made its way at roughly the same time as numerous other South African diamonds arrived at the Netherlands.

Nevertheless, some industry experts think the Queen of Holland is a Golconda stone. Although white, the diamond has a definite blue tint and the Gemological Institute of America graded it a D color, internally flawless diamond – one of the largest of that quality known.

Golconda possibilities aside, the diamond has clear Indian lineage: in 1930, the diamond attracted the attention of Shri Kumar Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji, the Maharaja of Nawanagar. He purchased the Queen of Holland and asked jewelry giant Cartier to set it as the centerpiece in the magnificent Ceremonial Necklace of the Prince.

Cartier ended up buying the necklace back from the Maharaja's family in 1960. In 1978 the diamond was re-cut, with minor alterations, from 136.25 carats to its present weight. The gem is now owned by the Robert Mouawad Private Museum. 

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In only a few centuries, South Africa has become a near synonym for diamonds ever since the discovery of diamonds at the Kimberly Mine in 1871. The discovery would change the face of the nation forever. Diamond mines in South Africa have proven to be a continuing source of controversy, from the Second Boer War in 1899-1902 to the everyday conflict that exists till this very day. Today, diamonds are among South Africa's most exported materials, next to coal, minerals, gold and metals.

Big Hole Kimberley, South Africa

When diamonds were first discovered in 1867 and gold was discovered in 1884 South Africa began to grow economically and attract immigration. However, this also exacerbated the tension between European-South Africans and South African natives. The struggle for control over these resources played an important role in the war between the Boers and the British.

Global diamond giant De Beers was probably the greatest profiteer of the discovery of diamonds in South Africa. Formed by Cecil Rhodes in 1888, De Beers Consolidated Mines became the sole owner of all diamond mines in South Africa, and soon became an international monopoly. This monopoly was eventually broken diamond mines were discovered in Russia, Canada and Australia, as well as due to the cultural, social and financial changes of the 20th century.

In the 1990s, De Beers' policy was to make sure that the diamonds it bought weren't used to fund rebel groups. The Kimberley Process was established when Southern African countries decided to act against "conflict" diamonds in the markets, while protecting the legitimate diamond industry.

The Kimberley Process, which has been chaired by South Africa since 2000, includes over 50 governments has established a set of minimum acceptable international standards for national certification schemes relating to rough diamond trade. De Beers insisted that all of the diamonds it sells today are 100% conflict-free and that all De Beers diamonds are purchased are sold in accordance to national law, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme and De Beers' own Diamond Best Practice Principles.

Photo Credit: garybembridge

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