Dominion Diamond Mines has reported
recovery of the largest-known gem-quality
diamond ever found in North America.
The 553-carat yellow diamond was unearthed
in October at the Diavik diamond
mine, approximately 135 miles south of
the Arctic Circle in Canada’s Northwest
Territories. The find far surpasses the previous record of 187.7 carats held by the
Diavik Foxfire, recovered in 2015.
The Diavik mine is owned 60% by Rio
Tinto and 40% by Dominion Diamond.
Rio Tinto is the operator.
The gemstone was recovered while
passing through the initial screening process
at the Diavik recovery plant. As the
diamond is still undergoing evaluation, it
is too early to determine its ultimate value.
Measuring 33.74 mm x 54.56 mm and
weighing exactly 552.74 carats, a diamond
of this size is completely unexpected for
this part of the world and marks a true milestone
for diamond mining in North America.
As featured in Womp 2019 Vol 01 - www.womp-int.com