Rio Tinto says workers at the NWT’s Diavik diamond mine have “unearthed one of the largest gem-quality yellow diamonds ever discovered in Canada.”
Diavik is expected to close next year after 22 years of production.
Fresh from announcing the discovery of a 50-million-year-old log, Rio Tinto said on Tuesday it has now found a 158.20-carat rough diamond at Diavik – one of only five yellow diamonds weighing more than 100 carats ever unearthed at the mine, the company added.
Normally, Diavik produces white gem-quality diamonds. Less than one percent of its production involves rare yellow diamonds, Rio Tinto stated.
Diamonds like these are estimated to be billions of years old.
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In a press release, Diavik chief operating officer Matt Breen called this one a “miracle of nature and testament to the skill and fortitude” of the mine’s staff.
