Calgary firm pushes Northern diamonds
Jeff Colbourne
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jan 15/01) - Northern diamonds are a source of pride for those North of 60, but many southerners know little about our precious gems.
Thanks to a Calgary-based company that is changing. A marketing campaign by Aurora Canadian Diamonds to increase global interest in Northern diamonds is briskly under way.
Aurora jewelry can be seen at trade shows around the world, and the company markets smaller, more affordable cuts.
"Until now the Canadian diamond market has served only the larger stones, while smaller stones were largely unavailable. Aurora specializes in five-point to 50-point Canadian-mined diamonds," said Richard Ando, Aurora's chief operating officer. (One point equals two milligrams.)
Aurora, which evolved from a small, Canadiana retailer for outbound tourists, opened four years ago. The company's colourful displays usually feature a picture board of an aurora borealis taken from the Yellowknife winter sky.
Aurora still sells other Canadiana including Aurora Maple Leaf coins and Auroralite Canadian ornamental stone jewelry, but their biggest seller is Canadian diamonds. Ando said it's the supreme diamond of all diamonds mined.
Aurora gets its diamond supply from a buyer and cutter in Antwerp, Belgium, who buys directly from BHP Diamonds.
Ando said restricted access to Canadian rough diamonds is a regrettable reality. They are forced to go overseas to buy smaller cuts.
Despite where the diamonds are bought, Aurora only sells Canadian-mined diamonds.
Through the Antwerp arrangement, Aurora can offer genuine Canadian-mined diamonds under a half-carat, set in solid 18 carat gold with a written guarantee of authenticity.
Consumers can also take comfort in the fact that money from their diamond purchase is not being used to fund any fighting.
Ando says "conflict diamonds" are funding armies around the world.
A group of European organizations recently launched a campaign to alert the public to the $42 billion U.S. diamond trade that is funding rebel armies across Africa.
"The conflict diamonds account for roughly three per cent of the world's diamond trade but the industry sees that as a real threat to their image," said Aurora Canadian Diamonds sales associate Dennis Breymann.
"That is why, it's not only De Beers making commitments to Canadian diamonds.
"We see the Canadian product as politically safe, politically correct and it has an advantage over the rest of the diamond world."
