The Point Lake ‘epiphany’: How a single discovery spawned an entire industry
On Nov. 6, 1991, the latest edition of The Northern Miner was on its way to bed when our fax machine spit out one page of seemingly unremarkable news: an…
Diamonds in Canada
Pat Sheahan: A diamond-seeker’s best friend
Pat Sheahan has always done things her own way. The diamond researcher and founder of the Sheahan-MDRU literature service — which, in various forms, has been keeping explorers up to…
The birth of an industry
The genesis of Canada’s diamond industry can be pinpointed precisely to twenty years ago this month. That’s when BHP Billiton reported that its partner Dia Met, had found diamonds in…
Canada’s diamond bourse heads east
Eyeing the strong and growing demand for diamonds in China, the Diamond Bourse of Canada (DBC) has set up a permanent liaison office in the Shanghai Diamond Exchange. The DBC’s…
Lucara set for 2012 startup at AK6
Construction activities at Lucara Diamond’s (LUC-T) AK6 diamond mine in Botswana continue largely on track and on budget despite a two-month delay this summer. South African steelworkers striking in July…
Shear puts its nose to the grindstone at Jericho
Since announcing a gutsy move to acquire the past-producing Jericho diamond mine in Nunavut last year, Shear Diamonds (SRM-V) has been doing the hard work necessary to determine if there’s…
Metalex plans bulk sample at Kyle Lake
It’s a tall order, but if Metalex Ventures (MTX-V) can get the various permits and funding it needs, it could begin a 10,000-tonne bulk sample at its Kyle Lake project…
Stornoway set to release Renard feasibility
At press time in mid-October, a feasibility study for Stornoway Diamond‘s (SWY-T) 100%-owned Renard project, in Quebec, was due out within weeks. While Stornoway president and CEO Matt Manson said…
Shore Gold in financing mode
Now that Shore Gold (SGF-T) has released a positive feasibility study for the Star-Orion project, in Saskatchewan, the only question that remains is how to fund the large, but low-grade…
Will Japan’s disasters derail the diamond recovery?
As the human toll of Japan’s devastating triple disaster becomes clearer, the world is beginning to take stock of the potential economic impacts of the March earthquake, tsunami and nuclear…
Boom times around the corner for diamond producers?
Nearly 20 years ago, when Dia Met and BHP Billiton announced the discovery that would become the Ekati diamond mine, there were more than a few skeptics who doubted that…
Lustre returns to Harry Winston
A look at Harry Winston Diamond’s (HW-T, HWD-N) recent financials shows the tale of rising demand for diamonds. Both the company’s luxury retail side and its mining side, strongly rebounded…