The Diamonds of Canada (shopping in hollywood)
No commentsBy Kelvin Gentry
It is said the sparkle from canadian diamond rings mimics the eerie and enchanting radiance of the Northern Lights. This is a bit of a romantic notion as it is actually the cut of the diamond, not its national identity that makes it twinkle like a Northern star. Still Canadian diamonds are among the whitest in the world. Thanks to stringent government regulations in the Northwest Territories they are also extremely high quality. This Canadian reputation for integrity means that canadian diamond rings are competing well in the gem stone jewelry market.
Canadian diamonds are also quite special because they have only been around about thirty years. Prior to their discovery in Canada’s Artic north in 1985, the finest quality diamonds were sourced from South Africa. This monopoly was put to an end when two Canadian geologists, Charles Fipke and his partner Stuart Blusson discovered a large vein of Kimberlite near Lac De Gras in the Yukon, Canada. This discovery was exciting as Kimberlite is the ideal stone-growing medium for high quality diamonds. Soon after this, in 1991, yet another source of diamonds in Kimberlite was found in Nunavit in the Northwest Territories.
The money to extract these diamonds comes from the Canadian government and the gemstones that are produced are also certified by the government body. This means that unlike many diamonds that you can buy today, the Canadian diamond can be traced back to the diamond it was mined from. Canadian diamonds are also etched with a serial number as well as a teensy microscopic image of a polar bear or a maple leaf. All diamonds mined in this conscientious country come with a Canadian Triple Guarantee, which assures the quality and purity of the rock.
In the last thirty years, Canada has risen to become one of the top three producers of gemstone quality diamonds in the world. Although South Africa produces the most diamonds, many of them are for industrial and technological uses. Currently Canada is the third top producer of diamonds for rings behind Botswana and Russia.
Two of the largest diamond mines in Canada are located very near and just north of the city of Yellowknife in the North West Territories. Two mines are operated in this area - the Diavik and Ekati mines. The third big mine, called Jericho-3 just started mining operations in 2005 in Nunavut. A fourth mine called Snap Lake-4, which is in Northern Ontario (and quite a bit south of the other three diamond mines) is scheduled to begin production in 2007.
Charles Fipke and Stewart Blusson, the geologists who originally discovered the vein of Kimberlite, own Canada’s first diamond mine, the Ekati Mine, along with the Australian mining conglomerate BHP Billton. This treasure trove is expected to be in production for the next two decades. It currently produces four per cent of the world’s fine diamonds.
The Diavik mine is cooperatively owned by a British mining called Rio Tinto PLC and the the Aber Diamond Corp that is based in Toronto, Ontario. It has been in production since 2003. It produces 8,000,000 carats of diamonds. This mine sells $100,000,000 worth of gemstones a year. This mine is expected to be in production for the next two decades and is currently responsible for providing 5% of the worlds gemstone quality diamonds.
The Jericho-3 mine is located near the north end of Contwoyto Lake in West Kitikmeot in the Canadian Territory of Nunavut. It is operated by the Tahera Diamond Corporation, which has been researching the viability of operating the mine year round in Nunavit’s harsh climate. It has only been in business for several months but it is projected to be a generous resource of glittering diamonds for at least the next eight years.
You know a diamond deposit is serious valuable when DeBeers decides to get a piece of the action. The Snap Lake mine, that is scheduled to open next year is owned and operated by the gargantuan South African mining company. This particular mine is located beneath a lake in the James Bay Lowlands of Northern Ontario. The nearest community is the coastal village of Attawapiskat. This mine, which requires a great deal of technological innovation to extract the Canadian diamonds from beneath tons of water, apparently has a rich deposit of gems that will produce for at least eight years.
One of the great things about this mine is they have gone a long way towards making Canada’s indigenous people, Indians and Eskimos, quite wealthy The mines provide high-income jobs with an average salary of $63,000. These are permanent jobs that are currently handled by aboriginal peoples such as the Dene First Nation. When you buy canadian diamonds you are also supporting an indigenous culture.
The relatively recent discoveries of these diamond mines have caused a flurry of excitement, not unlike the Yukon Gold Rush. According to Statistics Canada, by February 2004 prospecting companies from all over the world laid claim to more than 70 million acres in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The most dramatic increase in diamond prospecting is in Nunavut in Northern Ontario, where the number of prospecting permits grew to 1,518 in 2004 from just 190 in 2003.
Over the years, Canadian Diamonds have earned quite a reputation for quality and integrity. As they are traceable, you know that they are not sold to fund terrorism in Angola or other African countries. Canadian diamonds are of very high quality with their most precious characteristic being their brilliant white color. This is especially true of the diamonds that come from the Ekati mines. Their purity and clarity makes a stellar diamond engagement ring.
According to Statistics Canada, 13.8 million carats of diamonds worth approximately $2.8 billion were mined in Canada between 1998 and 2002. This means that every day, Canadian mines produce $1.5 million worth of diamonds, which is the equivalent of a 1.5 kilogram bag full of the gems. Overall, Canada now produces 15% of the world’s diamonds in total and this trend towards prosperity will increase providing the weather cooperates and these mines are always allowed to operate with year round efficiency.
Information on oil, starflower oil , starflower benefits can be found at the Health And Nutrition Tips site.
Your Source For Stores Located In Hollywood California
Everything You Want to Know About Tanzanite
By Kelvin Gentry
If you ask any colored gemstone connoisseur, they will tell you that tanzanite is becoming the most desired gem in the United States. We also see this trend manifesting itself in Europe. American and European designers, collectors and tanzanite jewelry manufacturers are keenly aware that with only one relatively tiny and unique geological source in Tanzania, tanzanite pricing fluctuations have sometimes been extreme and tend to move with the current news and season of the year. In fact, wholesale tanzanite prices have more than doubled since early 2004, with regular price increases being passed to retailers on an ongoing basis.
It is tanzanite’s color and relative scarcity which has caused these dramatic price fluctuations. We all remember the days when one could purchase a very deeply colored tanzanite for around $300 per carat. There were even smaller tanzanites in the 1 to 2 carat range that had rich color. Just try finding one of these today! These tanzanites were mined mostly in the D shaft of Merelani Hill, just outside of Arusha, Tanzania. This area has since been depleted and new shafts have been opened. The color being produced by these new shafts is not quite what Block D produced. This notwithstanding, much richly-colored tanzanite is still being produced and is available.
Also, related to color, many people are astounded by the seeming glow of fine tanzanite under natural diffuse light. This is due to the fact that tanzanite is pleochroic, which simply refers to the property possessed by tanzanite of exhibiting different colors when viewed along different axes. In tanzanite’s case we see blue, violet, and red. It is no wonder why tanzanite has its appeal in the market today.
With the current supply of tanzanite being ‘controlled,” essentially, by TanzaniteOne Ltd., prices are expected to continue to increase over time, though at a more stable rate than in years past due, in large part, to a sightholder distribution network comprised, at present, of 5 sightholders. In fact, many projections indicate that some day tanzanite could be the most expensive gemstone on earth. So, the opportunity exists today to purchase tanzanite relatively inexpensively, even at $600 to $700 per carat, when compared to the prices of fine rubies, sapphires and alexandrites which sometimes sell into the $1000’s per carat.
For local tanzanite miners, when it comes to tanzanite, the process of obtaining any type of permit to mine can be expected to be met with a great deal of resistence. One only needs to look at the history of Afgem (Johannesburg) to determine this. Before TanzaniteOne Ltd. purchased all of Afgem’s interests, there existed a great deal of turmoil between the local miners and commercial tanzanite mining operations.
Afgem, as history goes, mined an approximate 8 square kilometer area at Merelani some 100km northeast of Arusha, TZ and this was known as Block C. They had been approved by the government and conducted tanzanite mining operations since the early part of 2000. Their plans were, at the time, noteworthy and they had already invested millions of dollars in their venture. The local miners, however, didn’t appreciate Afgem’s presence and often accused them of trying to force them out by creating a monopolistic environment. The newspapers were replete with stories of digruntled miners who feared that their only source of income would be jeopardized. The complaints, seemingly, were not unfounded since Afgem laser branded all of the tanzanites that they exported. The small-scale tanzanite miners were unable to afford this type of branding equipment and the result was that many of their stones were mislabeled as fake or synthetic. The perception was that this was a form of strong-arming the local tanzanite miners out of the business, since the rough they mined could not be sold.
Then…there were some in the media, feeding off the fervor of allegations espoused by local tanzanite miners, that tried to link Afgem’s alleged strong-arming issue with that of introducing apartheid, which the good citizens of Tanzania openly rejected. This perception created an uproar in local mining communities, but was seemingly dismissed in the mainstream global media outlets.
As if the local issues in Tanzania were not enough, in 2002 in response to an article that ran in the WSJ (November, 2001) alleging that supporters of major terrorists were involved in “tanzanite smuggling,” the U.S. State Department issued a statement emphatically stating that there was no link between the tanzanite industry and terrorism. This lifted a standing boycott of the gem by US jewelers and the gemstone was again marketed openly in the USA.
As of 2005, all tanzanites sold in the USA are sold under “The 2002 Tucson Protocol” which essentially states that the contents of shipped/invoiced tanzanite parcels have been mined in Tanzania and have been traded through legitimate sources. The seller warrants that the proceeds from the sale of tanzanite are/were used for legitimate purposes. The seller affixes the tanzanite warranty sticker to all tanzanite they sell.
In summary, though tanzanite is highly desired, it has a complex history to follow. Through periods of erratic pricing fluctuations and political influence, it remains a highly sought-after gem within the retail jewelry trade.
To learn about tendons, pulled tendon, pulled muscles, serotonin, serotonin boosters , what is serotonin and other information, visit the Health And Nutrition Tips website.
Monday, November 30th, 2009 at 5:45 pm and is filed under shopping. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
