Diavik is located about 200 miles north of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and about 120 miles south of the Arctic Circle. In recent years, Canada has been one of the top three diamond-producing countries in the world on the basis of carats produced. Diamond Mine (Google Maps). The company is conducting an extensive drilling and sampling plan and expects the mine life to extend beyond 2028. It surpasses the Foxfire, a 187.7-carat diamond, also found at Diavik in 2015, which is believed to be the previous largest diamond found in North America. These are some of the top diamond mines currently operating in Canada: Gahcho Kue Diamond Mine. The mine, which opened officially on 20 September 2016, consists of the Gahcho Kué kimberlite pipes, which lie underneath Kennady Lake.There are also several unexplored kimberlite occurrences scattered over … So many wooden stakes were being purchased by the miners that local lumber companies were unable to meet the demand! The diamond production map above shows countries with at least 50,000 carats of natural gem-quality diamond production. In addition, the proceeds of the mines go to legitimate companies instead of groups who have obtained the diamonds through forced labor, theft or other exploitation. Commercial production commenced in 2003, and the lifespan of the mine is expected to be 16 to 22 years. Today Canada's diamond business is soaring. The expected cost of the road was $95 million. Last year two new diamond mines came into production: Gahcho Kue in the Northwest Territories and Renard in Quebec. De Beers holds mining rights to the nearby Tango diamond deposit a short distance from Victor. Drilling Blast Holes: In September 2012, surface mining at the Diavik Mine was completed and production moved to underground. Much of the rough has been exported because only a small number of diamond cutters in Canada produce finished stones. Canadian diamonds also appeal to people who are concerned about environmental and human rights issues. Rio Tinto PLC owns a 60% stake in the mine through their Diavik Diamond Mines subsidiary. The closing of Victor reduces the chance that De Beers will move forward with Tango. Diamonds have been washed from auriferous gravels of the … This is good news for mining companies. Diavik began producing diamonds in January 2003, and the company sold its first rough diamonds in March that year. Open to the public from Mid May til Mid October . De Beers stopped mining at Victor in March 2019 and processed the last of the productive ore in May 2019. Much of that success was supported by rich ores, containing high-quality diamonds that could be produced by open-pit mining. Between 2019 and 2021, the mine is expected to process between 3.1 and 3.2 million tons of ore and yield between 6.6 and 7.1 million carats per year. The Jericho Diamond Mine was the third diamond mine in Canada and the first in Nunavut territory. By making a portion of our rough diamonds available to Canadian cutting and polishing companies, we are generating economic benefits beyond our mining operations. Production at the mine cannot be restarted without a significant effort to remove the water and return the site to operating conditions. FREE ADMISSION . Diamonds Producers Countries, Deposits & Mines Map. [8]. For children trapped in the diamond mines, life is full of hardship. High-Quality Rough Diamonds: Octahedral diamond crystals from the Diavik Mine. The mine is 300 kilometres (km) northeast of Yellowknife and consists of three kimberlite pipes. They are in countless consumer products that we rely upon—from toothpaste to bicycles to electronics. Physically challenging tasks such as digging with heavy shovels or carrying bags of gravel can leave them hurt or in pain. They hoped to start an open-pit mine in 2020, but they had a huge transportation problem. In 2017 alone, our country produced 23 million carats of the gemstone, at a total value of $2.6 billion. It has become an important part of the regional economy, employing 700, grossing C$100 million in sales, and producing approximately 7.5 million carats (1,500 kg (3,300 lb)) of diamonds annually. Owners: Diavik Diamond Mines (2012) Inc. (60 per cent) and Dominion Diamond Diavik Limited Partnership (40 per cent). De Beers now believes that it owns the best undeveloped diamond property in Canada and that they will be able to develop the Chidliak property into a mine that will produce over one million carats per year for over a decade. The Gahcho Kue Diamond Mine Project is a Canadian diamond mine located near Kennedy Lake, 280 km northeast of Yellowknife, on federal land. New green technology could help extract the mineral from oilfield waste, The Yukon Mining Alliance will use the funding to help showcase the opportunities in the North at the annual PDAC Conference in Toronto, New opportunities on the horizon for mineral exploration in Western Canada, New tech aims to extract lithium from oilfield waste, $500,000 federal funding to help promote northern mining at annual conference. The Mir open-pit mine (“World” or “Peace”) in Russian city, Mirny. The collection includes three named specimens: "Vega of the Arctic", a 177.71-carat diamond which they report is "one of the largest and most valuable gem-quality rough diamonds ever produced in Canada"; "Altair of the Arctic", a 59.10-carat diamond; and, "Capella of the Arctic", a 24.82-carat yellow diamond. thejewelleryeditor.com The Canadian diamond mine putting ethics on the map Dominion Diamond Mines is a Canadian diamond mining company with ownership interests in two major producing diamond mines situated approximately 200 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle in Canada’s Northwest Territories. Diamonds offer huge economic and social benefits for the countries where we operate. Gahcho Kué: Aerial image of the Gahcho Kué diamond mine in Northwest Territories, Canada. In late 2015 the Diavik Foxfire was unearthed. Canadian diamond mines enjoyed great success in their first two decades. These inscriptions help assure consumers of their diamond's origin, connect it to the certificate, and have been a very successful marketing feature. Developing the project will require formal support from the First Nation of Attawapiskat. Image by Terry Kruger, De Beers Group. Large-scale, open-pit mining was initially used to extract diamond ore at Argyle. Renard is the seventh diamond mine to open in Canada and the first to open in Quebec. It employs more than 500 people and began commercial production in 2017. Image provided by Mountain Province Diamonds. Occasional yellow diamonds are found at Diavik, and a few rare pinks have been found at Victor. 225 km east of Yellowknife, NWT. Map of the featured area. [6] — Photo courtesy Stornoway Diamonds. The EKATI discovery launched one of the most intense mineral prospecting rushes in the history of North America. This water was very costly to collect, pump out of the mine, and handle before it could be released. 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