The largest company to operate a diamond mine in South Africa during the diamond rush was the De Beers Company, founded Cecil Rhodes. The De Beers empire was started on a farm owned by two Boer War settlers, brothers D. A. and J. N. De Beer. Around 1873 the De Beer brothers sold out to a group of mining syndicates who later merged with Cecil Rhodes' pumping company to form 'De Beers Consolidated Mines.' imberley rapidly became the largest city in the North Cape, due to massive migration to the area from all over the African continent. These immigrants supplied the cheap labor force for the De Beers company and Kimberley Central Mine's Big Hole.

At the time, the British controlled much of the surrounding land of South Africa and decided to annex the area around the diamond mine. As a result of this decision, Kimberley was besieged at the beginning of the Second Boer War on October 14 1899.

As of today, five enormous holes have been dug into the earth at Kimberley, each following the trail of the kimberlite pipes. The largest, the "Kimberley Mine" or "Big Hole," covered 170,000 meters and reached a depth of 3,520 feet (1,097 meters). Kimberley's Big Hole mine is the largest hand-dug excavation in the world. The Big Hole yielded over 3 tons of diamonds before it was closed in 1914. Three of the remaining holes; the Du Toitspan, Wesselton, and Bultfontein mines closed in 2005. New Orange River alluvial deposits have been located along the Namibian boarder, near South Africa's northwest coast. The Baken Diamond Mine sits on the south bank of the Orange River, approximately 50 miles from Alexander bay.