The diamond hoax of 1872 triggered a brief diamond craze along the borders of Wyoming and Colorado, USA. A scattering of round-brilliant cut diamonds shows off the many reflecting facets. ... State nickname: Equality State Other U.S. States Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Governor Dave Freudenthal (D) Official languages English Area 253,554 km² (10th)  - Land 251,706 km²  - Water 1,851 km² (0. ... State nickname: The Centennial State Other U.S. States Capital Denver Largest city Denver Governor Bill Owens (R) Official languages English Area 269,837 km² (8th)  - Land 268,879 km²  - Water 962 km² (0. ...

In 1871, would-be-prospectors and cousins Philip Arnold and John Slack traveled to San Francisco. They reported that they had found a diamond mine and produced a bag full of diamonds as a proof. They deposited the diamonds on the vault of the Bank of California. 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... A prospector is a person who prospects, or explores an area for natural resources such as minerals, oil, flora or fauna. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

Prominent financiers heard about the find and convinced the two to speak. At first Arnold and Slack were reluctant but eventually offered to lead investigators to the field in Wyoming. Investors hired two mining engineers to accompany the cousins to examine the diamond field. The cousins forced the engineers to travel blindfolded to protect their find. Eventually the engineers saw a huge diamond field with various gems on the open ground. One could scoop up gems with his bare hands.

When the engineers made their report, more businessmen expressed interest. They included William C. Ralston, Horace Greeley, George McClellan, Baron von Rotschild, General George S. Dodge and Charles Tiffany of Tiffany and Co. Tiffany's evaluated the stones as being worth $150,000. They convinced the cousins to sell their interest for $660,000 and formed their own mining company. Financiers sent mining engineer Henry Janin, who had also bought stock in the company, to reevaluate the find, and he sent wildly optimistic reports to the press. Photographic portrait of Greeley Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811–November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and politician. ... George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 - October 29, 1885) was a Major General of the Union Army during the American Civil War. ...

US government geologist Clarence King heard about the find and decided to inspect the unusual field with his team. King uncovered a stone that was partially polished and definitely not natural. He also noticed that the field had diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires in the same area and many of the gems were clearly in places they could not have reached in any natural means. King contacted the investors, who had to face the fact they had been defrauded. Categories: Stub | 1842 births | 1901 deaths | Climbers | Geologists | Sierra Nevada ... Ruby is a red gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum (aluminium oxide) in which the color is caused mainly by chromium. ... For other things of this name, see Emerald (disambiguation). ... Sapphire is the single-crystal form of aluminium oxide (Al2O3), a mineral known as corundum. ...

Further investigation showed that Arnold and Slack had bought cheap cast-off diamonds, refuse of gem cutting, in London and Amsterdam for $35.000 and scattered them to "salt" the ground. Most of the gems were originally from South Africa. The clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, which contains Big Ben London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Amsterdam Location Country The Netherlands Province North Holland Population 739,295 (1 January 2005) Coordinates 4°54E - 52°22N Website www. ...

Arnold returned to his home in Elizabethtown, Kentucky and became a successful businessman and banker. Would-be investors sued him, and he settled the cases for an undisclosed sum. Years later he died of pneumonia after he was wounded in a shootout with a rival banker. Elizabethtown is a city located in Hardin County, Kentucky. ... Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs. ...

John Slack was never heard of afterwards.