In the fall of 1991, following 13 years of searching, diamonds were discovered in the Northwest Territories. Within 3 years, the largest mineral rush in North American history had resulted in Boeing 727 jets landing in what had generally been considered to be an almost inaccessible area. The story of the search, the discovery and the start of the resulting rush is told in Fire Into Ice: Charles Fipke & the Great Diamond Hunt (Raincoast, 1999).

    De Beers states that approximately 250 tons of ore must be mined and processed in order to produce a single one-carat polished, gem quality diamond. In the Canadian Arctic, getting that 250 tons of ore is an even more massive undertaking than in gentler climates. Prospector Grenville Thomas told Forbes Magazine that over the winter of 1992-1993, Aber Resources "shipped 3,000 tons of ore in thirty 100-ton trucks across 400 miles of ice, and you could fit 70% of the value of what we got out of that in a shot glass." But with an ore grade of 3.9 carats per ton, that made it the richest diamond find in the world.

    Despite the huge royalty checks expected in the coming decades, diamond mining in the Arctic is not all good news. The fragile environment is damaged just as much by mining for diamonds as it is by mining for zinc. The Canadian Arctic Resources Committee has been conducting environmental reviews for over 25 years, and their analysis of present and future mining infrastructure megaprojects is not encouraging.

    One of the suprises resulting from the diamond drilling programs has been the discovery of turtle bones and wood dating back to 53 million years BP.

    As of the summer of 2004, there is a book that describes Canadian Arctic diamonds and the industry - click here for a review of Gayla Meredith's Canada's Northern Diamonds: from rocks to riches.

    Listed below are links to Canadian diamond mines, their stock prices, retailers of Canadian diamonds, diamond news and related stories. If there's anything I missed here, just drop me a note!

Canadian Diamond Mines

Aber Diamond Corporation
Aber is developing the Diavik diamond deposits in Lac de Gras, and testing in 5 other areas in the central Arctic and Greenland.

Darnley Bay Resources
Comprehensive information on their property near Paulutuk, which may contain both a nickel deposit and diamonds.

Ekati Diamond Mine
Exploration, production, environmental and other information on this mine, owned by BHP Diamonds, which started production in October 1998.

Ekati Diamond Mine
From Mining Technology, a well-illustrated look at the mine, and the equipment and processes being used in developing in.

Kennecott Exploration
Partnered with Aber Resources in the Diavik property.

Mountain Province Mining
Two blocks of properties are being worked, one in partnership with DeBeers Consolidated Mines, and the other with Opus Minerals.

Current Stock Quotes

ABZ - Aber Resources Ltd.

MPV - Mountain Province Mining Inc.

Toronto Stock Exchange

Vancouver Stock Exchange

Retailers/Wholesalers of Canadian Diamonds

Polar Bear Diamonds
Formerly Sirius Polar Bear Diamonds - based in Yellowknife, Sirius cuts and polishes diamonds from the Ekati mine, and wholesales them. The Web site has lots of information on Canadian diamonds.

UltraDiamonds.com

1ctw Ultra Canadian Diamond Studs These 1 ctw princess cut solitaire earrings feature exquisite I-G color, SI2-I1 clarity Canadian Brilliant Cut Diamonds, in a basket setting of 14k white gold. These princess cut diamonds are expertly cut for maximum fire and brilliance. Includes a certificate from European Gemological Laboratories. Canadian Princess Cut diamonds are available exclusively from Ultra Diamonds.

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