Polar Bear Diamonds

[Shawn]

Anybody ever heard of these? I saw some at a Jewlers. He told me a story about them being a socially conscious diamond from canada. Anybody know of quality vs. other types.

 

[pricescope]

StevL knows this brand very well but unfortunately he cannot write on the forum right now.

Try to search for "Polar Bear" on this board. There were several threads on this subject.

 

[DrDoctor]

PolarBear is a trademark of the Sirius Diamond corporation (www.siriusdiamonds.com). I am also looking for a Canadian diamond although I am not sure that I will continue to pursue it . . . My understanding up to this point is that the Ekati mine in the Northwest Territories is the only mine really up and running in Canada at this point. It opened in the Fall of 1998 and produces 10,000 carats per day (wow). There are other mines scheduled to open this year but as you might imagine the capital to start such a venture is large and the timeline is long. The Diavik mine (which includes Tiffanys as a limited partner) is just such a venture, and I think is hoping to begin production this Spring. There are several current Canadian brands, all of which come from the Ekati mine. They are:

Ekati (now called Aurius):www.aurius.com
Tundra: www.tundradiamonds.com
Sirius: www.siriusdiamonds.com
Canadia: www.canadiadiamonds.com

As far as US dealers of these diamonds go:

1. Aurius' only dealer according to their website is Derco Jewelers in San Francisco. They have numerous Canadian dealers.

2. Tundra Diamonds may be sold near you but you will have to get on their website and request a list of dealers. I have done this and they responded within 24 hours with one dealer in my area (Washington DC and outlying areas)

3. Sirius has a search engine on their website to help you find their diamonds. They are the ones who market the "Polar Bear" inscribed diamond.

4. Canadia Diamonds are more widely sold, it seems to me, but as with Tundra, you need to email them a request (they have a preset form on their website) to get this list. They sent back a list of 4 jewelers in my area.

As far as I understand it, diamonds from any of these companies come with a government certificate (GNWT or government of the northwest territories) that verifies their origin from Canada and more specifically, from the Northwest Territories. There are apparently numerous other "unbranded" Canadian diamonds, some of which may be inscribed with a Maple Leaf or other Canadian symbols, but I have no idea how to verify where they are actually from. In fact, Birks (which I understand is Canada's Tiffanys) purchases diamonds from the Ekati mine and sells them as well . . . but outside of those reputable retailers, how would you know? Thus, I am probably going to avoid all but the branded Canadian diamonds . . . Canadia, by the way, uses a maple leaf in its laser inscriptions.

I am almost certain that buying Canadian diamonds in one of these brands will cost substantially more money (and really, I think it's very substantial . . . maybe 2 grand more for a near 1ct or 1 ct stone).

www.earth-treasures.com, which is based in NJ and which has a storefront apparently have "all three" Canadian brands, which I take to mean all but the Aurius, but I am not certain. I have inquired as to the prices and availability of their stones, and they floated me some quotes for various stones. If you are interested, PM me and I can tell you more opr you can inquire directly. I don't know what you're in the market for (in terms of stone size), but I am looking for a near 1ct or 1ct+ (if affordable but likely not if Canadian) round stone . . .

Please feel free to email me or reply here if you want more info . . .

Dave