Results: The History of the Canadian Diamond Story continues ** Part Seven ** The money to extract these diamonds comes from the Canadian government and the gemstones that are produced are also certified by the government body.

The Jericho-3 mine is located near the north end of Contwoyto Lake in West Kitikmeot in the Canadian Territory of Nunavut. It was operated by the Tahera Diamond Corporation, which had been researching the viability of operating the mine year round in Nunavit's harsh climate. It is projected to be a generous resource of glittering diamonds for at least the next eight years. It is located about 250 miles northeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The mine was opened by Tahera Diamond Corporation and produced diamonds from 2006 to 2008 but the company lost money. In 2010, Shear Minerals, Ltd. acquired the property with the intent of bringing the mine back into production. In 2014, the department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development declared Jericho as "closed or abandoned, temporarily or permanently". This, according to Nunatsiaq Online, allowed the department to do "whatever may be required to protect people, property and the environment" in the area. The biggest challenge is getting in and out of the extremely harsh climate. Do you think it will ever re-open, as diamonds are still there?

Gahcho Kué Diamond Mine is Canada's sixth diamond mine. It is located about 170 miles northeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. It is a joint venture between Mountain Province Diamonds and De Beers Canada. Production began in 2016, and they propose to mine three kimberlite pipes beneath Kennady Lake. A fourth, smaller pipe is located nearby, and it may be mined as the project progresses. 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. That is a recovery rate of about 2.15 carats per ton. The company is conducting an extensive drilling and sampling plan and expects the mine life to extend beyond 2028. Does the responsible management, partnership with indigenous communities and having a Environmental Monitor, full time, improve your opinion of De Beers?

On December 16, 2020, Mountain Province Diamonds announced that a 157.4-carat gem-quality diamond was found at Gahcho Kué. This was the largest diamond ever found at Gahcho Kué. The company said that they plan to offer the diamond for sale in early 2021. Stewart Brown, Mountain Province President and CEO, said: "It shows that the mine, although a high-volume producer of predominantly smaller diamonds, does produce diamonds of exceptional size and quality." The following video shows how diamonds evolved through time. Were you aware that diamonds can be thousands of years old?

Renard is the seventh diamond mine to open in Canada and the first to open in Quebec. It is located in the James Bay region of northern Quebec, about 500 miles north of Montreal. The project is 100% owned by the Stornoway Diamond Corporation. Nine diamondiferous kimberlite pipes and the Lynx/Hibou kimberlite pipe system are on the project property. The mine is expected to produce about 2.2 million metric tons of kimberlite per year, yielding about 1.6 million carats of diamonds, with an anticipated average value of US $155/carat. Would you like to work here?

Chidliak: A New Diamond Mine, a cluster of at least 74 kimberlite pipes, was discovered on Nunavut's Baffin Island in 2008. Peregrine Diamonds and BHP Billiton, the world's largest mining company, were working together to develop the project. They hoped to start an open-pit mine in 2020, but they had a huge transportation problem. They need a 160-kilometer all-weather road (not an ice road) to transport a steady stream of supplies to the mine site. The expected cost of the road was $95 million. Peregrine carried on and demonstrated that the CH-6 pipe contained over 11 million carats of diamonds at a grade of 2.45 carats per ton to a depth of 260 meters. The CH-7 pipe was estimated to contain over 4 million carats at a grade of 0.85 carats per ton to a depth of 240 meters. Four other pipes are thought to have economic potential. The company also had exploration projects in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. In 2018, De Beers purchased the entire company for $107 million. 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. De Beers also plans to use "FutureSmart" mining methods that will significantly reduce the environmental impact of the mine. Have you heard of "FutureSmart"Mining before this?

Canadian Diamond Challenges & Future Opportunities ** The diamond mines in Canada face a number of challenges not faced by competing mines in other parts of the world. The first problem is their very remote location. A second problem is the cost of labor. Wages in African mines and Indian cutting facilities are very low compared to the wages paid to mining and manufacturing employees in Canada. The Snap Lake mine closed without turning a profit. A third problem is the fact that the open-pit mines are being depleted, and continued work in the ore body requires underground mining - which costs about 50% more per ton of ore produced. Some of the mines also incur a high water pumping cost as they excavate below the water table. Nearby lakes serve as an infinite source of recharge water. Canadian diamond mines enjoyed great success in their first two decades. Much of that success was supported by rich ores, containing high-quality diamonds that could be produced by open-pit mining. The diamonds produced by these mines were favored by consumers who value diamonds produced from mines that are environmentally responsible and conflict-free. Canadian customers have also patronized gems that are obviously marketed and marked as a Canadian product. Although exploration for new deposits continues, the pace has dropped dramatically from the original boom. New discoveries in Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, and Quebec are being evaluated, and some of them might be developed into profitable new mines. In Northwest Territories in Canada, Dominion Diamond Mines suspended operations at its Ekati mine in mid-March, to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. Overall mines that would otherwise account for over 16% of the world's diamond output in 2020 are on hold. Do you think Diamond Mining will resume once the pandemic is truly over?