South African miners who staged an illegal underground sit-in at a platinum mine ended their protest Tuesday, after the mine reversed the dismissal of four co-workers, officials said.

Mining group Petra Diamonds has discovered a 507.55 carat white diamond at South Africa's Cullinan mine, one of the largest high-quality rough diamonds ever found, the firm said Tuesday.

The glittering diamonds are almost gone and as the lustre fades on South Africa's Diamond Coast, desperate ghost towns are left clinging to the last signs of life.