Without Sophie, everything in the mine became much more normal. The workers were either lazy or working hard, and few people cared about them.
Lion Hunter was accompanied by the stewards of the mine, and the miners were not afraid of them at all. When they appeared, those who should be working were still working, and those who should be lazy were still resting.
The stewards shouted casually, and whether it was useful or not, they were done.
After walking around the pit, Li Du decided to go out for some fresh air. It was too depressing inside. He did not blame the workers for being crazy. If he stayed in such a place for a while, he would go crazy too.
When they went out, Lion Hunter handed him a cigar and asked with a smile, "What do you think, man?"
Li Du sighed. "It's crazy. This job is torture."
Lion Hunter said mercilessly, "If you have no choice, then any job to make money is torture! Besides, do you think it's crazy? If you continue to go north, or look at the diamond mines in the west, you will find that my place is paradise. "
Li Du was surprised. "So, what are the diamond mines like?"
Lion Hunter smiled and said, "Go and see when you have a chance, Li. Some of my guys escaped from there. They are happy working here."
After pausing for a few seconds, he continued, "But no matter what, diamond mining has never been an easy task. It's just very maddening."
"So, I have to improve the treatment of my employees and increase the cost of mining. I mean, you should understand why the price of my diamonds has been rising," he said slyly.
Li Du had to admit that diamond mining was a torturous task, but as for the mine owners who had improved the treatment of their employees? He really did not believe that.
The diamond mining process was very detailed. After the raw stones were collected, there were special people responsible for cleaning them up.
They only watched the process of collecting, and there were other processes after that. Under the leadership of Lion Hunter, they watched step by step.
Diamonds were rarely discovered by human eyes in mines because most of the diamonds were very small and difficult to detect in the dim underground environment. Unless a large diamond of several dozen carats was discovered, it had to be screened by machines.
They left the mine by lift and went back to the surface. First, they passed through a place like an airport gate, where there were machines scanning people.
This was to prevent the miners from secretly taking the diamonds they found underground. In order to take the diamonds out, the miners were very crazy.
"They will hide it in their mouths, stuff it in their buttocks, hold it between their toes, or even eat it." "The craziest guy I've ever seen. Do you know what he did?"
Li Du played along and asked, "How did you do it?"
The lion hunter shook his head and said, "He is a crazy bastard. That kid didn't hesitate to cut a hole in his leg with a shovel, hide the diamond in it, and then cry for help while bleeding."
"What was the final result?" Li Du asked.
The lion hunter took a puff of his cigar and smiled. "Oh, no, I can't go on. You don't want to know the final result."
Li Du did not ask further. It must have been something terrible. These mine owners were willing to do anything to protect their property and intimidate their employees.
Originally, they should have gone to the screening workshop first, but it was very chaotic and there was a lot of dust floating in the air. Lion Hunter finally decided to skip this step.
He explained, "There is nothing to see there. They use the different vibration penetration of diamonds and kimberlite to analyze the ore, and when they find the diamond, they crush the ore. That's all."
At noon, the rough diamonds found in the morning were gathered and sent to the lion hunter.
The lion hunter motioned for Li Du and Sophie to look at the things and said, "This is the first time a quarried stone has come into contact with human skin. It feels extraordinary."
The rough diamond was plain and unremarkable, like a dull, transparent block of salt. However, after they were cut, they could display their inner, astonishing charm.
Next, the rough diamonds began to be processed online.
They were first sent to the valuation company building, which every mine had. There were government officials, appraisers, sheriffs, and other workers.
The stones were sent into a small room with explosion-proof glass, and the officials and staff watched intently as the stones were weighed for the first time.
Li Du and the others went to visit. The atmosphere in the room was tense and quiet, and only the sound of the stones rubbing against each other could be heard.
The stones needed to be weighed three times, on three scales in three rooms.
Under the supervision of the officials, three workers in the three rooms carefully sifted the stones over and over again, weighed them in batches, and recorded the earliest data.
If the difference in weight between the stones reached one percent, the stone would have to be weighed again, and the supervision would be stricter.
Diamonds and gold were important parts of the South African government's economic lifeline, and the government had to know the value of diamonds produced in the mine to levy taxes.
When the weighing was over, the lion hunter waved to Li Du and smiled. "Come on, distinguished guest, I will take you through the next steps."
He took out a safe for Li Du to open. The box was divided into dozens of small compartments of different sizes and grades.
In South Africa, rough stones were divided into 23 grades according to size. The lion hunter was an expert in this area. He introduced them to Li Du, then sent them into the small compartments of the safe, and then transported them to the valuation workshop.
The valuation workshop was the best place in the mine. It looked like a laboratory, with wide floor-to-ceiling windows and white lights. The staff worked inside, equipped with snacks and drinks.
Li Du nodded. "They have a good working environment."
"They are treated well, too," the lion hunter said, grinning. "This is a job that many young people in our country yearn for. It is decent, easy, and well-paid, but you have to be good at it."
More than a dozen workers sat at a long table, well-lit and comfortable.
The rough diamonds in the safe were brought to the table by a conveyor belt. With their well-trained hands, they first picked out the raw stones suitable for grinding into jewelry, and then divided them into several categories according to color, quality, and shape.
The lion hunter smiled. "It takes at least ten years of experience to do this job. If I think they are qualified, they will be sent to London and Antwerp for further training. Only when they are assessed as excellent can they come to work for me."
It was very complicated to judge the value of a diamond. It was usually measured using the 4C standard — Color, Weight, Cut, and Clarity.
In fact, it is not so simple. There are as many as 500 real auditing processes, and the better the diamond, the more auditing processes!
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