Pele Mountain Resources (YPN-V) has released diamond recovery results from the newly discovered Salon and Moet diamond-bearing breccias on its Festival property, 25 km north of Wawa, Ont.
Two samples from the Salon breccia totalled 24 kg and returned 50 microdiamonds. Two samples weighing 24 kg from the Moet breccia yielded a total of 12 diamonds, including four macrodiamonds.
Earlier this summer, Pele uncovered several new showings at Festival. The hetrolithic breccias, dubbed Krug, B-1, Perch East and Perch West, yielded 100 microdiamonds and five macros.
Another area, characterized by angular boulders, yielded 56 macros and eight micros from a 15-kg. sample. The area, known as Cristal, lies 1.5 km northwest of the Engagement showing (opposite to the direction of glacial ice flow).
The two new discoveries bring to 10 the number of areas in which diamonds have been found at Festival. Earlier this year, a 7.5-tonne bulk sample of weathered and unweathered, xenolith-bearing lamprophyre from the Destiny showing yielded 55 macros, most of which were white and transparent.
Pele plans to focus its efforts on advancing the new discoveries and finding new breccia occurrences on the property.
In March, Kennecott Canada Exploration, a division of Rio Tinto (RTP-N), relinquished its right to negotiate a joint-venture agreement at Festival. The company had been granted the right in return for covering the cost of processing the Destiny bulk sample.
In other diamond news, Diamond Trading, which is based in Antwerp, Belgium, has completed its examination of diamonds recovered from the 18.4-tonne composite mini-bulk sample from the Freightrain pipe on Twin Mining‘s (TWG-T) Jackson Inlet property on Baffin Island, Nunavut.
Diamond Trading is a minority stake holders in Twin Mining.
Diamond Trading’s report describes the stones as “similar to high-quality South African diamonds but without having their characteristic yellow colouring.” It says the sample is void of “boarts (a type of industrial diamond), rejections, coated and cubes, which are low-grade and low-yield diamonds.”
The report also notes the absence of small feathers (small diamond crystal flaws), impurities and colouring in the better half of the Freightrain sample. This, combined with their rounded shape, the company says the stones will produce high-yielding polished diamonds of good lustre, high purity and colour grading.
“The purity (IF – VVSI) and colour (average F or better) of the sawable (highest yield) diamonds is remarkably high and they represent a much higher proportion of the sample than is current in South African and Canadian kimberlite mine production,” the company says.
In all, the 18.4-tonne sample surrendered 86 diamonds measuring more than 1 mm in one dimension. The sample also yielded the largest stone recovered from the area so far, a gem-quality stone that weighed in at 1 carat and measured 6.98 mm by 5.64 mm by-3.6 mm.
Drilling to determine the pipe’s dimensions and to collect a bulk sample continues.
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