Photo © Rio Tinto
A trio of large diamonds has been unearthed from the Diavik mine in the Northwest Territories. With names inspired by northern constellations, the ‘Diavik Stars of the Arctic’ will headline the upcoming ‘Specials’ tender to be put on by Rio Tinto, which co-owns the operation with Dominion Diamond Mines.
The largest of the three gems, a white diamond called ‘Vega of the Arctic,’ weighs 177.71 carats and is one of the biggest gem-quality rough diamonds ever found in Canada. It will be accompanied by another white diamond, ‘Altair of the Arctic,’ which weighs 59.10 carats.
The third featured gem is a 24.82-carat yellow diamond named ‘Capella of the Arctic.’ While not as large as Vega or Altair, this is a particularly rare find, as Diavik only produces approximately five diamonds of this colour each year (equivalent to less than 0.001 per cent of its annual production).
“Diavik diamonds are over two billion years old and it has taken 15 yearas of production to unearth these extraordinary diamonds, underscoring the ongoing importance of the Diavik orebody in the context of the global diamond industry,” said Patrick Boitumelo, CEO of Diavik Diamond Mines.
The gems will be shown in Antwerp and Israel before the tender, which will feature only rough diamonds exceeding 10.8 carats. Bids will close on October 25.
