Birks showcases Victor diamonds

Located in the James Bay lowlands of Ontario, De Beers Canada’s Victor mine is known for known for exceptionally high-quality, high-value diamonds. Although the grade at Victor is only roughly 25 carats per hundred tonnes, the stones fetch upwards of US$400 per carat.

Recognizing both the cachet of the Victor diamonds’ “made in Ontario” label, as well as their remarkable beauty and clarity, Canadian jeweller Birks & Mayors (BMJ-X) has partnered with De Beers and Crossworks Manufacturing to bring its clientele truly Canadian diamonds.

In April, the company’s flagship store in downtown Toronto offered 131 Victor diamonds that not only were mined in Ontario, but also cut and polished in Sudbury, Ont., by Crossworks Manufacturing. The diamonds, starting at about $1,300 each, were sold as loose gems for customers to have set as they pleased. Each diamond was certified by the provincial government as an Ontario diamond and numbered as such — with both the number and a maple leaf laser engraved on the girdle. The engraving is visible at a magnification of 10x.

At the same time, the company offered bespoke (made to order) diamond jewelry made from rough Victor stones. For each rough diamond, Birks clients could view a diagram on the different ways the gem could be cut. The company said that the offer was the first of its kind by a retailer in North America.

Since then, Birks has unveiled a slew of high-end jewelry showcasing Victor diamonds. In September it loaned out a $1-million, 75-carat rough diamond necklace to actress Allie MacDonald for the Toronto Film Festival premiere of the movie Score: A Hockey Musical.

The necklace, in 18-karat gold, is made of 27 uncut, unpolished diamonds and was designed in Ontario by Reena Ahluwalia and manufactured in B.C. by Crossworks.

At the same time it introduced the necklace, Birks unveiled a ring set with the largest diamond to be produced at Victor so far — a 6.29-carat Amorique diamond cut in its proprietary cushion-shaped, fancy cut style. The ring is valued at $430,000.

And another special piece of jewelry featured the first pink diamond from Victor, a 2.75-carat, light pink, oval-cut gem set in platinum and 18-karat gold.