Jack of Diamonds
Synopsis
Some people will risk everything on a hunch.
This is the true story of a young Canadian maverick adventurer who takes a job in Africa after university, never imagining the scope of the journey upon which he is about to embark.
After graduating from Montreal's McGill University in 1933 with a Ph.D. in Geology, John (“Jack”) Williamson is offered a junior position with De Beers Consolidated Diamonds in South Africa, a company owned by the legendary Sir Enrst Oppenheimer, the man single handedly responsible at the time for controlling the world diamond industry. From the first morning that the sun rises over the vast African veldt, Jack is enraptured with the beauty of this land. It is in this same golden light that Eleanor Standish steps into Jack’s world- a fellow train passenger in whom Jack immediately senses a kindred spirit. But Eleanor and Jack are from two very different worlds, and despite their instant attraction, the two would have to overcome potentially insurmountable obstacles to be together.
The itch that prompted Jack leave behind his life in Canada and travel half way around the world for a job, is not satisfied with the surveying work he is initially assigned to. While on a prospecting expedition for De Beers, Jack beings to develop a theory that somewhere in Tanganyika there is a huge pipe of diamond-bearing blue clay known as kimberlite. When Jack's request for additional funding is rejected by Oppenheimer, he heads off on his own. This would be the first of an epic feud between the two men- Oppenheimer, the preeminent player in the world diamond market, and Williamson, the most unexpected opponent. But more would come to pass before any would consider Jack for more than a laugh.
Broke and with only the help of his two African assistants, Jack sacrifices everything for his dream. His unyielding search to follow his intuition drives him far beyond the boundaries of any other man. He refuses to play by the rules and in doing so, becomes cause for embarrassment by the colonial powers that be. Through it all, Jack’s closest relationships are with people who, like him, are on the fringe. He is a focused man but not a selfish one. In fact, it is the kindness and generosity that Jack shows to his African workers that would become as much a part of his legacy as the diamonds he is searching for.
Despite threats of deportation by the British, malevolent Italian espionage, and without a remaining penny to his name, Jack's dream comes true when he finally strikes the kimberlite pipe. His discovery solidifies his position as a true opponent for Oppenheimer in the world diamond trade, and suddenly makes him a valuable commodity to the British government whose interest in protecting precious commodities for the war effort has become a top priority.
True to character, Jack never gloats in his newfound wealth. He generously shares with the few who stood by him despite all odds- his loyal African assistants Ibrahim and Issa and his strongest ally, Chopra, an Indian lawyer who recognized Jack’s potential and invested in a theory dismissed by everyone around him as crazy. Jack’s Mabuki Mine would become the single richest single source of diamonds in history and would be remembered not only for the diamonds it bore but the revolutionary life available to its employees. For the first time in history, black workers’ families lived with them, site, medical support would be available, recreational facilities erected, and schools built. Jack treats everyone in his life with respect. Even as theft infiltrates Williamson mine, he refuses to police his work force and is rewarded by the black community coming together in defense of the mine.
Ultimately, Jack comes head to head with the man whose initial denial fueled the path to his discovery, and the woman who has always had his heart is finally in his arms.
Jack's story is about more than a man who became rich beyond his wildest dreams. This is a story about the measure of a man, and how Jack Williamson was worth much more than the sum of the diamonds he found.