Norman Wells (Feb 17/03) - Randy Turner is planning to make another major diamond find in NWT --and he has the track record to do it.

Turner's Diamondex Resources has been awarded mineral permit rights on 6.3 million acres of land between Norman Wells and Tsiighetchic, just east of Fort McPherson.

The company pursued the rights based on positive sampling results in the area last year.

"We decided to go in and take the largest land package we could, given the kimberlite mineral indicators we have seen to date," said Turner.

"We believe there is the potential there not only for a brand new kimberlite province, but kimberlite fields within that province."

Diamondex Resources is a spinoff of Winspear Diamonds, the company that discovered the diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes at Snap Lake.

Turner was CEO of Winspear prior to its purchase by De Beers in a hostile takeover three years ago.

"We formed Diamondex as a grass-roots exploration and prospecting company in 1999. Winspear at the time was involved in developing Snap Lake," said Turner.

"The same people who were behind Winspear were also behind Diamondex."

Diamondex has 1.7-million acres under claim (staked) near Snap Lake and is continuing exploration in the area.

The firm will mount a "major sampling program" on its newly acquired property north of Norman Wells this year.

A field team of 12 geologists -- including six from Russia -- will use conventional till sampling and pan sampling along waterways.

Panning is more commonly used by gold prospectors but is a handy tool in the early search for diamonds as well, said Turner.

"With conventional till sampling, by the time you have finished lab processing you have lost the season.

"Instead of sending a 25-kilogram sample to a lab, we use panning to get right down to the heavy minerals in the field to see whether we have the kimberlite indicator minerals we are looking for."

The firm hopes to have 2,000 samples by the end of the field season in October.

The company has employed Russian geologists in the North since 1994.

"This terrain in this area is similar to the Siberian platform, which hosts some of the richest diamond pipes in the world. They are so attuned to sampling under these conditions that they can actually look at what is in the pan and determine very quickly what they have and whether we should carry on in a given area."

Diamondex Resources will spend about $4 million in exploration and prospecting on its NWT properties this year, said Turner.