“She smiled and said with an ecstatic air: “It shines like a little diamond”,
“What does?”
“This moment. It is round, it hangs in empty space like a little diamond; I am eternal.”
― Jean-Paul Sartre, The Age of Reason

The search for a diamond, the right diamond, usually occurs at some time, sometimes many times, along the path of love – for instance, when couples begin plans for an engagement or celebrations of anniversaries and other special events. The art of celebration, though, is and should always be about more than mere materials – it should be about the moments, about a greater experience, one as everlasting as a diamond itself.

Ellerman House’s Benguela Diamond Safari, in partnership with Benguela Diamonds, is just that. Guests at the hotel are invited on a ‘diamond safari’ to the mineral-rich west coast of South Africa, to go in search of their own ocean diamond – and at the same time, to embark on not only a celebration of love, but an adventure in amour as well.

The journey begins at Ellerman House – from here a chauffeured limousine transfers you to a private terminal at Cape Town International Airport for a scenic early morning private charter flight on board a Swiss-designed Pilatus PC12 jet or a Kingair 200 aircraft. Travelling from Cape Town to Port Nolloth on the west coast, the flight is around an hour and 15 minutes, following the coastline.

First stop: a luxurious, contemporary villa on the coast, between Port Nolloth and McDoogles Bay, in front of Benguela’s private offshore concession. The morning begins with a cup of coffee or a glass of freshly pressed fruit and vegetable juice, followed by breakfast, while the host presents an introduction to the day’s activities.

By mid-morning, the adventure gets under way with the option of joining the Benguela dive masters under the water. A current Padi Open Water 1 certificate is all that’s required, as the dive is an entry level one, in fairly shallow water.

For those who choose not to dive, it’s just as exciting to be on the boat waiting for the precious seabed gravel to be brought up to the surface. The gravel runs into a classifier that separates the larger stones from the gravel. The remaining gravel is then ‘jigged’ which means that the diamonds are sorted from the gravel using a vibrating pan system. The heavier gemstones, such as garnets, olivines and diamonds, fall into the pan. Only then does the final sorting and grading process begin.

A gourmet lunch awaits you on the terrace of the villa after being on the sea. A private chef accompanies guests for the day to take care of all your culinary needs. Ellerman House villa guests will be accompanied by their personal in-villa chef. A gourmet lunch of your choosing – perhaps a seafood dish of fresh line-caught fish or west coast crayfish, depending on the season – is paired to award-winning South African wines, handpicked from Ellerman House’s wine collection.

After lunch it’s time to sort through the day’s richest pickings with an expert from Benguela’s sorting team, and learn more about the grading of diamonds. This is the time to select your rough diamond to be cut, polished and set into a piece of jewellery at the design studio in Stellenbosch. While nature determines the colour, carat-weight and clarity of a diamond, only a skilled craftsman can determine the cut, displaying the fire, sparkle and beauty of the diamond. When a diamond is cut to perfect proportions – not too deep nor too shallow – light will reflect inside the stone and disperse through the top of the stone, giving it an inner radiance.

By late afternoon, guests are en route back to Cape Town aboard their private aircraft. Safely back at Ellerman House, round off the day by indulging in the hotel’s signature Dom Perignon Experience. As the sun sinks into the ocean, pop the cork on a bottle of vintage Dom Perignon paired to a delicious bento box-style dinner prepared by the Executive Chef.

The Facts

• For visitors to Cape Town, the biggest advantage of investing in a diamond through Benguela is that it only takes three consecutive working days to get a diamond cut and polished, and a piece of jewellery designed, made and certified.
• Recently opened, The Studio at Ellerman House also offers a full range of Benguela Diamonds for the convenience of its guests.
• Available for a maximum of 6 guests, the trip includes road transfers, return air transfer on a private jet, and all food and beverages including the Dom Perignon Experience at Ellerman House.
• For more information on the Benguela Diamond Safari Exclusive to Ellerman House or reservations contact info@ellerman.co.za. View or download the brochure online.