Yellowknife (Apr 09/03) - Tiffany & Co. is still several weeks away from opening its cutting and polishing plant on Yellowknife's diamond row.

The firm initially targeted a May opening but is now looking at a mid-year startup.

Tiffany's Andy Hart blamed immigration delays in bringing in managers and supervisors from Europe and Botswana.

The delay won't adversely affect operating plans for 2003.

Once its management team is in place, the company will begin recruiting cutting and polishing trainees locally, said Hart.

Laurelton will open initially with 10-15 employees but is designed for 75 employees at capacity.

"We think long term and are very much committed to the communities where we operate," said Hart.

"We also support the idea of developing a diamond industry in an area instead of just taking the diamonds out of the ground and processing them somewhere else."

The plant will operate under the name Laurelton Diamonds. Laurelton is a wholly-owned Tiffany subsidiary incorporated in the NWT.

The plant is the giant retailer's first venture into diamond cutting and polishing.

Meanwhile, Tiffany has met with aboriginal groups to exchange ideas on developing jewelry manufacturing in the North.

"We have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Peh Cho Ko Development Corporation (Dogrib) and the Kitikmeot Corporation (Inuit) for joint ventures," said Hart.

"We are considering using northern materials, northern arts and crafts, and northern sensibilities in the product design. We're at the evaluation phase now."

The jewelry would have its own brand. Marketing ideas include retail sales to northern tourists, he said.