Almod Diamonds set to be in operation within weeks
Managers of revamped Diamond Row plant speed up plans to hire Northerners
Jessica Davey-Quantick
Northern News Services
Friday, February 24, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Almod Diamonds Limited could be polishing diamonds within weeks.
Dovi Weintraub, general manager for Almod Diamonds Limited, said the company's new diamond processing factory is set to begin polishing diamonds within a month. - Jessica Davey-Quantick/NNSL photo |
The company has set up shop in a former factory near the airport in what was once called Diamond Row. The company's general manager Dovi Weintraub offered Yellowknifer a tour of the new facility on Wednesday.
"I think we are ready to start, like (in a) couple of weeks," he said. "I think it will be sooner than everyone here thought that it will happen."
Almod Diamonds purchased machinery left behind by the factory's previous owners, and Weintraub said that's one of the reasons they're on schedule.
"It was here before, it was taken out, and now we've put everything back in," he said of the polishing equipment that was stored in sea cans before being re-installed this week in the factory. "We knew that there is machinery, but we didn't know exactly what. Now we can see exactly what there is and what we still need."
He added certain machines will still have to come from overseas, and they intend to purchase additional sea cans of machinery left behind by the previous factory as well.
Almod Diamonds Limited was approved as a NWT Diamond Manufacturer by the GNWT in December. Drew Williams, public affairs and communications manager for the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, said the company is confirming the potential of the territory's manufacturing sector.
"We're happy to see Almod setting up their shop as promised," he said.
Based in New York, Almod touts itself as the largest duty-free jeweler in the Caribbean, with more than 100 locations, many catering to cruise ship passengers. Not everyone is on board with the company - Diamonds International, Almod's retail arm, is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau, which also reports 139 complaints about the company over the last three years, mainly from customers who found the value of their purchases were lower than they were told.
Almod has more than 3,000 employees in Namibia, New York City and Ukraine. And soon, up to 30 more from the NWT will be added.
Company CEO and president Albert Gad said in December the 10 jobs for cutting and polishing stones probably wouldn't go to Northerners, instead going to previous employees from other parts of the world who know how to cut Almod's patented cut, the Crown of Light. But Weintraub said the only delays now could be caused by looking for workers in Yellowknife.
"I believe like within one month we can start," he said. "If we have to bring people from overseas it'll take another two or three months to start ... We found some locals here that we are interviewing now."
He added they will still have to bring people from overseas to train local workers on how to cut the Crown of Light. The Crown of Light is 90 facets with a dome on top, instead of a regular round brilliant, which is flat on top and cut with 58 facets. And most of it, Weintraub says, is cut by hand as machines currently can't keep up.
"We are the only ones that cut that stone," he said, adding the company is thinking about how they can combine the Crown of Light with the Northern lights, although he couldn't confirm if a new cut was on the horizon.
"You never know!" he said.
Weintraub said the company's goal is to cut larger stones, from 2.5 to three carats and up. This shouldn't be a problem - earlier this month, Mountain Province Diamonds recovered a 67.87-carat, gem-quality diamond at the Gahcho Kue Mine, which president and CEO Patrick Evans said was a sign that large diamonds could be the norm at the mine.
Mines in the NWT provide 10 per cent of their rough diamonds to NWT producers. That amount will be up for grabs between Almod and the only other current producer in Yellowknife, Crossworks, based on how much each can afford to purchase. Representatives from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment and Weintraub could not confirm if Almod will also be receiving the Polar Bear Trade mark, although in December Gad said he would love to have it, but is willing to wait until the GNWT is ready to put a ring on it.
Within a year, Weintraub said he would like to see the 10 jobs at the plant expand to around 30, something Williams also looks forward to as he said it will help diversify the economy.
