School me on Canadian Diamonds Please

[lakai]

I''m wondering if someone can school me on Canadian diamonds. What makes them different ? How do the diamonds from Canadian mines compare to mines in other regions ? Could someone list some facts ?

I understand that Canada is a new and small player in the diamond industry, I also understand that the amount of Canadian diamonds on the market pales in comparison to diamonds from other regions. From what I gather their major selling point is that they are "Conflict-Free". Without going into the moral side of diamond mining, I''d love to hear some facts or opinions as well as some comparisons if possible. Thanks in advance

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

Sorry, double post.

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

Canadian diamonds are very similar in quality to many Russian diamonds. Of course, quality here refers to average size, crystallisation, average colour and average clarity coming out of the mine, and does not refer to any individual diamond.

I would not call Canada a small player, they are currently the third biggest producer in value after Botswana and Russia, and estimates are that they will be number one by 2020.

A minority of Canadian rough also reaches the polished-market with a label of Canadian origin. That is because the Canadian rough-tracking-system is neither simple nor cheap, and this results into the majority of Canadian rough being sold as polished from unknown origin.

As for ''conflict-free'', Canada probably is (unless one follows the position of the unions when the miners are on a strike), but 95% of all diamonds in the world are conflict-free.

Hope this helps,