The Canadian subsidiary of diamond giant De Beers has agreed to make available 10% of its rough diamonds, by value, from the proposed Gahcho Kue project, to manufacturers approved by the government of the Northwest Territories (NWT), where the project is situated.
The Gahcho Kue project is at the environmental-impact review stage.
The manufacturers concerned need to meet the client selection criteria of De Beers’ sacheap wood pepper mill grinderles and marketing arm, the Diamond Trading Company (DTC).
De Beers Canada has already inked a similar agreement for the diamondscrushing in diamond processing produced at its Snap Lake mine, in Ontario.
In South Africa, diamond producers may face a 5% export levy on rough diamonds, in an attemptcrushing re cycled concrete crushing plant by the country to ensure that local industry sees benefits from gems mined locally.
“This agreement provides further opportunities for local manufac- turers to add value to, and derive benefit from, diamonds produced at the proposed Gahcho Kue mine, and is consistent with the agreement announced regarding Snap Lake diamonds earlier this year,” De Beers Canada CEO Jim Gowans said in an emailed statement.
De Beers will have a local sorting presence in Yellowknife, where its Snap Lake and Gahcho Kue diamonds will be separately valued for royalty purposes in accordance with the requirements of the Canadian mining laws.
De Beers’ Snap Lake and Gahcho Kue diamonds will be prepared for sale to DTC clients by the DTC in London.
De Beers will provide training for NWT residents in diamond sorting.