Winner of the 2008 Canadian Collections CGA 50th Anniversary Writing Contest sponsored by Debra Sawatzky.

My story is like many others like me, but still uniquely Canadian.

I was one of the first to be formed, yet the most recent to be discovered. My birthplace is the Slave Craton area. My time is the Archean Era when the earth was forming its first continents. Carbon dating of my tiny mineral grain inclusions rank me as one of the oldest diamonds to be found so far. Even older than any found in South Africa though mining has occurred there for over a century now, since 1867.

From 2.5 to 3.3 billion years ago under the ideal conditions of temperatures around 1000 degrees Celcius and pressures between 44 - 50 Kbars, worthless carbon was turned into precious diamond. Under ancient continents called cratons, 150 km & 222 km below the earth’s surface, this northern gem was formed long before the kimberlite rock that housed me.

Between 60 and 47 million years ago, northern kimberlite volcanoes deep within the earth explosively erupted upwards towards the surface passing through many layers of earth, carrying me closer to the possibility of one day being discovered.

Yet time passed slowly where geographic and climatic changes occurred, and the kimberlite volcanic craters were covered with glacial ice. With warming conditions and glacial movements, tell-tale evidence of my existence was being moved from the point of origin like breadcrumbs to be traced back to me. Arctic lakes formed over the carrot-shaped kimberlites, playing a game of hide and seek with me and the geologists.

In 1991, my secret was uncovered by Chuck Fipke and Stu Blusson. The Ekati Mine was consequently the first diamond mine in Canada to open on Oct. 14, 1998, followed by the Diavik Mine in January, 2003, also in the North West Territories (NWT), and then the Jericho Mine in Nunavat.

So that my identity would not be confused with any other, I had a tattoo serial number and CanadaMark symbol laser engraved on my girdle once cut and polished. I may have been cut and polished here in Canada, or sent abroad, but I always carry a passport certification of all of my particulars from where I was mined, to the size of my original uncut crystal. Other logos used on polished Canadian diamonds are a polar bear, loon, maple leaf and inukshuk. Some NWT diamonds are branded, but some are not.

So prized am I that I can only be bought at a premium usually of 15-20% over another "identical" diamond from elsewhere in the world. I am valued for my gem quality nature, yet I am not aware of any fancy coloured counterparts like the pink diamonds in Australia. Some of the factors driving up my cost are that due to my remote location, I can only be accessed on ice roads for a short period of time during the winter, or by air if possible. All of the fuel and supplies needed for the mining operations for the entire year have to be transported during a short period of time. Also, certain working standards and a minimum wage must be met for the miners and people working around the mine.

At one point 12 500 tonnes of kimberlite per day were being mined at the Ekati mine recovering about 1 ct per tonne of kimberlite. The Diavik mine once mined 4100 tonnes of kimberlite per day recovering about 4 ct per tonne of kimberlite. The lifespan of this mine is anywhere from 16-22 years. Most of the diamonds mined in Canada are of gem quality as opposed to other mines in the world where they're mostly mined for industrial use. Many projects in Canada are on the go. The Gahcho Kué project on Lac de Gras is in the "conceptual study" phase located under Kennady Lake. The Southern Era Company has a lot of projects: a joint project with De Beers, the Trillion Project is located in north western Ontario. Kidme Block Project is located near the Gahcho Kué Project. Southern Era projects in the NWT (Slave Craton & Churchill Province) also include the Lac de Gras X Claims Project, Monument Project, Yamba Lake, and WO Block Project. Other Canadian mines have already opened in Saskatchewan at Fort à la Corne near Prince Albert and the Victor mine in the James Bay Lowlands, northern Ontario. The Renard Project may be Quebec’s first diamond mine to open. Right now, Canada is the third largest diamond producer in the world based on dollar value. Exploration continues and new discoveries await.

Some of my appeal is also that I have even been called, "conflict free". But am I?

Sure, measures have been taken to include and train and not to exploit the native people on whose land I’m usually found. But what of the environmental changes that occur irregardless of any mining operation? The loss of fish habitat through the draining of lakes, and destruction of streams. How about changes in water quality as far as 200 km away downstream of Lac de Gras where I was unearthed from the Ekati Mine? What about the irreversible changes to water quality and possibly species composition in the De Beers’ Snap Lake Diamond Project? Twenty lakes have been eliminated altogether, with no fish habitat compensation measures in place. Damage to permafrost regions repairs very slowly if at all. The Boreal Forest has definitely been affected.

Is the only "conflict free" diamond a synthetic one? It still has the same chemical composition and all the qualities that I have. Except the sentimentality that I was bourne from the earth; I am the oldest and best in my opinion, and of course, I am Canadian.

Teresa Pfuetzner B.Sc. FCGmA

Sources:

"Canadian Diamonds" Fall 2006, "Canadian Diamonds Oldest on Earth", p.10.

"Canada’s Northern Diamonds...from Rocks to Riches", by Gayla Meredith, p.9.

Nrcan.gc.ca/ms/diam/kimberlit-EN/kimberlite.swf

http://www.greenkarat.com

http://www.khulsey.com/jewelry/kh_jewelry_diamond_mines_canada.html

The Canadian Gemmological Association Course Notes