OTTAWA — De Beers, the company whose name has been synonymous with the diamond trade since its founding in South Africa by Cecil Rhodes in the 1880s, is opening the world’s largest new diamond mine in a decade —in Canada’s Far North.

The $1 billion Gahcho Kué mine becomes Canada’s fifth operating diamond mine, reflecting the global search for new resources to replace mines in southern Africa that are being slowly depleted and t...

The vocabulary used to describe gems, particularly mined versus other gems, is not set in stone (I know – groan!).  Below is an alphabetical list and layperson’s definition of some of the most common terms. 

Come back as the list is updated.

Carat – the size of precious gemstones; applies to mined, synthetic and simulant gems.  Simulants are often sized in mm instead.

Clarity – internal or external characteristics – inclu...

In advance of the rollout of the EthicMark® GEMS standard for gems from earth-friendly materials science, the CEO and COO of Ethical Markets Media have pledged to avoid gems mined from the Earth.  Mined gems have been the funding source of many conflicts – leading to the term “blood diamonds”.  They are related to the deaths of miners, human rights abuses, unfair labor practices, the degradation of the natural environment and...