News from our businesses and markets

A brilliant display of rough diamonds from De Beers Canada and four exquisite pieces from De Beers Forevermark were the highlight of the opening day of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada annual convention in Toronto, March 6.

The display included an incredible sample of rough run-of-mine from De Beers Victor Mine, Ontario’s first and only diamond mine, as well as samples representing each of the three pits that will make up the Gahcho Kué Project, a Joint Venture with Mountain Province Diamonds, scheduled to open later this year. Among the Gahcho Kué samples were a beautiful 25-carat octahedron and a 10-carat diamond.

The display also includes four impressive pieces of jewelry from De Beers Forevermark, including a 38-carat necklace, a 12-carat diamond ring, a bracelet and a pair of 5-carat earrings in stunning yellow.

Tom Ormsby, Head of Corporate Affairs for De Beers in Canada, said the delegates were speechless with the display.

"The PDAC convention has more than 20,000 attendees involved in the mining industry and know the business, but they could not believe the quality and selection of diamonds on display," said Ormsby. "Most had never seen rough diamonds before, so to see rough from all three of De Beers' assets in Canada was quite an opportunity. Then to see the rough and the beautiful De Beers Forevermark jewelry right next to it really gave the delegates a great example of how the diamond industry is connected from exploration to mining through to the consumer."

The convention runs through Wednesday.

De Beers has the Victor Mine in Ontario and the Snap Lake Mine in the Northwest Territories, and is the operator of the Gahcho Kué Project in the Northwest Territories, a Joint Venture with Mountain Province Diamonds (51% De Beers/49% Mountain Province Diamonds).