North American Diamonds

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North American Diamonds from Canada's Ekati mine are a Canadian treasure of unsurpassed beauty. Foxfire Jewelers was among the very first to carry Diamonds from Canada's Ekati mine, starting back in 1998. The Canadian Diamonds we carry today are well cut, in proportion and polish, fully documented, and of course conflict and cartel free. We sell them with style, personal service, and without illegal, misleading wholesale claims or other dishonest practices. Stop by and meet with one of our Diamontologists, and see how beautiful a diamond of Quality from Canada's Arctic North can be.

A tale of Perserverance:

When you mention diamond mines, most people think of South Africa, and the mines of DeBeers. A surprising new source of diamonds is right here in North America, though: the Ekati mine in the Northwest Territories (NWT) of Canada.

From the icy North come diamonds of wondrous beauty, high quality, and, because they are cut in Canada to the highest standards, unsurpassed Brilliance.

In 1985, prospector Charles Fipke discovered diamond indicator materials after seven years of searching the barren, windswept, dangerous lands of Canada's northwest regions. He had endured, despite a bare bones budget that dictated float planes and long hikes instead of helicopters, and the constant battle to secure funding to continue exploration ( we understand he borrowed money from a restaurant owner among others). He was mostly alone in the belief that Diamonds would be found here, large conglomerates like DeBeers, despite having prospected there for years had met with no success. He beat them to the discovery, despite their huge budget for exploration and superior equipment.

Today, the Ekati mine is up and running and diamonds are beginning to come onto the world markets from this region. Presently, the Ekati mine supplies approximately 6-8 percent of the world's diamonds. Soon, it is thought that this region of Canada will become the third largest producer of gem diamonds, when the Diavik and other mines come on line. Speculation has it that 20 years from now, North America may produce up to 50% of the world's diamonds. It has been quite an accomplishment.

Located 186 miles from the nearest town, Yellowknife, the Ekati mine is just 124 miles South of the Arctic Circle, in an area that is impassable to ground transport except 8-10 weeks a year, when the ground is frozen solid enough for large trucks. To this place 2,000 truckloads of material and equipment were carried by crews working in shifts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for a total of 88 million pounds. Because temperatures can reach 40 degrees below zero, the mine's processing plant, as well as all water storage, had to be constructed entirely indoors, in what became the NWT's largest building. Everything is self contained, from power generation, to medical facilities, to kitchens with a staff of 24 cooks.

A giant Demag shovel from Germany scoops up ore from the pit mine, taking just 4 scoops to fill a 288 ton capacity ore truck which takes the material to the mine plant to be processed (Each truckload will yield only one diamond large enough to be cut to 1 Carat in size.) First the ore is crushed, then a special machine separates the diamonds from the ore by their x-ray florescence. The rejected material is then screened again by grease tables (the diamond sticks to the grease while the ore washes away.) The diamond rough is then taken away under high security to be sorted and graded and cut.

The name Ekati is a Northwest Native word meaning "Fat Lake" because the white quartz found there reminded them of Caribou fat, a precious commodity among local aboriginal peoples. Today, the mine employs many people of the tribes as part of it's commitment to expand local job opportunities. Agreements with local indigenous peoples assure jobs and training opportunities otherwise unavailable in this area.

Careful environmental stewardship and worker safety procedures place this most modern, efficient mine firmly in the twenty-first century. The mine has an excellent safety record. It also subscribes to a rigorous set of environmental standards, partially due to the involvement of the Canadian government in the mine.

While most of the Diamonds found at Ekati will be sold and mixed into the anonymous world supply, selected stones are being set aside to be cut to very exacting standards. They are then laser inscribed with a microscopic Canadia logo on their girdle, denoting their origin, and supplied with a certificate showing the quality and a government certification of their origin.

Foxfire Jewelers is very proud to have been among the first jewelers to offer certified diamonds from the Ekati Mine, born and bred in North America. We get them directly from the cutter, who buys them direct from the mine. Our customers appreciate the fact that not only are they getting a superior diamond with an interesting provenance, they are supporting a very good endeavor.

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Email us at:

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(425)-485-0625.

Foxfire Jewelers
14176 NE Woodinville-Duvall Road
Woodinville, WA 98072

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