Before you ever held your diamond, it was touched by many people. People who’ve honoured its birthplace, brought out its natural beauty, and ensured it’s authentically Canadian. The Canadamark™ isn’t just a promise – it’s a guarantee you can feel proud to wear it.
This is an image of your actual stone
Your diamond comes from the Ekati/Diavik mine in Canada’s remote and pristine North, about 200 kilometres south of the Arctic circle.
With preferential hiring practices and training programs for northern residents, indigenous-led wildlife monitoring programs, and industry-leading water recycling and composting systems, these mines are at the forefront of community engagement, environmental sustainability, and waste management practices.
Mining in Canada is governed by more stringent regulations than other countries. Federal, territorial, First Nations agreements — they’re all in place to protect Canada’s environment and its people. Our parent company Dominion Diamond Mines not only meets these regulations, but goes above and beyond them.
Rough diamonds are found in kimberlite pipes, which were formed in the magma of the Earth’s mantle billions of year ago then forced up in volcanic eruptions. While more than 2,000 kimberlite pipes have been discovered around the world, only a couple dozen are worthy to be mined.
We work hard to improve lives, strengthen communities, protect wildlife, and respect the environment in which we operate. Below some of the good your diamond enabled on its way.
Nearly 22,000 caribou were counted in the Ekati mine area in 2016, among the highest recorded since monitoring began a decade earlier.
Dominion Diamond Mines is proud to support Boots on the Ground, an indigenous-led environmental program working to monitor and protect the Bathurst caribou, its habitat and the cumulative impacts on the herd.
The program relies on the traditional knowledge of elders for a holistic view of caribou monitoring, believing that local people who live on the land and rely on caribou for subsistence are those most capable of understanding and assessing current conditions. Monitors track the caribou on foot while camping near caribou summer migration routes.
Caribou — the most abundant and wide-ranging large mammals in the Arctic — are a vital part of the Arctic ecosystem and an important food source for the Dene and Inuit people. Dominion’s partnership with the Boots on the Ground program will ensure the stability of the Bathurst herd for years to come.
In 2016, Dominion reduced greenhouse emissions by 3,787 tonnes through energy efficiency projects that cut diesel usage by 1.4 million litres.
Dominion Diamond Mines recognizes the impact of climate change and is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy efficiency. The Ekati mine has developed a formal energy management system structured on the recommendations of Natural Resources Canada that includes a steering committee, efficiency projects, an awareness campaign, and energy-use tracking and reporting.
In 2016, the Ekati mine far exceeded its goal of reducing greenhouse emissions by at least 500 tonnes, through a robust program that included ventilation, truck efficiency, heat recovery optimization, and LED light replacement. The Ekati mine also has a strong focus on waste management, recognized by our 2017 TSM Environmental Excellence Award for Transforming Waste Management in Canada’s North. By diverting waste volume from incinerators, the Ekati mine’s composting unit has the capacity to reduce site diesel consumption by approximately 100,000 litres every year and prevent up to 280 tonnes of GHG emissions.
Dominion is a 40% owner of the wind farm at the Diavik mine. From October 2012 through December 2016, the wind farm produced 73.6 gigawatt hours of energy, and it has offset 18.2 million litres of diesel and 50,801 tonnes of CO2.
Dominion is working towards a collective goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in fiscal 2018. Through careful planning and consultation with our stakeholders, we seek to preserve Canada’s Arctic lands today and for generations to come.
Through its ongoing support of cross-generational programs, Dominion is honoured to facilitate knowledge sharing and cultural experience opportunities for all ages.
Knowledge shared by indigenous land users and community members is integral to the success of Dominion’s northern mines. We are committed to respecting and supporting the resident populations who call Canada’s North their home.
Key to Dominion’s community engagement are programs that facilitate cross-generational knowledge sharing through activities such as sewing, tool-making, traditional wild game preparation, and language lessons. Dominion is proud to have played a key role in the 2016 re-opening of the much-anticipated Kǫ̀Gocho Complex, a 50,000-square-foot sportsplex in Behchokǫ̀, Northwest Territories. The complex has a significant impact on the well-being of the community, offering opportunities for children, youth, adults, and elders to stay active and interact with one another in a positive setting.
Other programs for which Dominion provided key sponsorship include the Northern Youth Leadership program, a week-long workshop that taught enrolled youth how to fish, hunt, make their own drums, and develop leadership skills; the Goyatiko Dene Language Conference, which brought together linguists, educators, and indigenous representatives to develop Dene writing systems, to foster language preservation, and address obstacles that prevent youth from learning the language; and our pioneering Breakfast for Learning program, which provides a nutritious breakfast and lunch to students in 48 schools to improve their ability to focus and perform in the classroom. The children use the nutrition programs each day during the school year, providing them with a head start for years to come.
Dominion is committed to the empowerment, sustainability, and economic development of Northern indigenous communities.
Dominion Diamond Mines’ indigenous partners in northern Canada are important stakeholders whose rights, traditional knowledge, and cultural heritage we respect and value.
We work hard to build strong relationships with Impact Benefit Agreement (IBA) groups and are proud to partner with these groups on a variety of community development projects, including workshops, environmental monitoring, and educational programs.
Every effort is made to give preferential treatment and support to indigenous partners in the area. Dominion directly employs 595 northern residents, representing 63% of our total employee base. Of these, 57% are from Northern indigenous communities, exceeding our target of 50%. In addition, we offer extensive apprenticeship programs to train and develop individuals in our Northern communities.
At the Ekati mine, we have Impact Benefit Agreements for the life of the mine with four groups: the Tłı̨chǫ Government, Akaitcho Treaty 8, North Slave Métis Alliance, and the Hamlet of Kugluktuk/Kitikmeot Inuit Association. The IBAs establish commitments to mine-related training, employment, business development, and capacity-building opportunities.
The Diavik mine has negotiated private Participation Agreements with five indigenous groups: the Tłı̨chǫ Government, Yellowknives Dene First Nation, North Slave Métis Alliance, the Kitikmeot Inuit Association, and the Łutsel K’e Dene First Nation. Topics of discussion include wildlife and environment, training and employment, future projects, and reclamation plans.
To ensure its authenticity and integrity, every part of your diamond’s journey has been diligently and independently tracked, in order for it to become Canadamark™ certified.
To ensure your diamond is accounted for from its mine to your hand, a unique tracking identification number is assigned right at its initial sorting stage. From its original batch, to the rough stone, and finally to the polished diamond — unique IDs and an independent, third-party audit ensure we never lose sight of your stone.
Less than 3% of the world’s diamonds are eligible to be Canadamark™ certified. This is a visualization of the actual rough diamond your stone was made of.
Canadamark™ is the first Canadian diamond brand to provide you with true 3D representations of the actual rough your diamond was cut from.
With a handshake and shared passion for diamonds, Star Rays was founded in 1981 by Rajendrabhai Shah and Dilipbhai Mehta.
The company, which prides itself on ensuring the safety, health and education of their employees, extends this focus into their community as a whole.
Star Rays believes fair and equitable companies create a strong foundation for their communities, as one supports the other. With a focus on education, they fund and support schools in Pilucha and Dabhad, two villages near Palanpur, Gujarat. Notably, the students at the Pilucha school have received excellent results in their secondary state board examinations.
Polishing diamonds today still relies on traditional craftsmanship. But polishers also make use of high-tech scanners and lasers to map, plan and cut the most beautiful diamonds possible out of a rough stone
Precision up to 1/100th of a millimeter is required to ensure Canadamark™ diamonds live up to their high expectations. Here are the exact measurements of yours.
Independent, third-party organizations evaluate and grade the traits of each Canadamark stone.
As well as evaluating your diamond’s characteristics, the third-party grader also assures all Canadamark™ stones are natural (not synthetic) and untreated.
Established in 1931, the Gemology Institute of America is the world’s foremost authority on diamonds. It sets global standards that all gems are graded against.
A colourless diamond is 100% carbon. But other elements are often present — like Nitrogen, which tints a diamond yellow or brown.
The diamond’s sparkle reflects the quality of the cut, a direct result of the skill and craftsmanship of the professional diamond polisher.
Brilliance is created by the diamond's specific cut. It determines how the light is reflected back to the viewer.
As light enters and exits a diamond, it refracts. This refraction radiates flares of rainbow colours that are commonly described as the diamond's fire.
Light symmetry is determined by the quality of a diamond’s cut and the position of any inclusions. A well-cut diamond features optimal proportions for equal light distribution.
Technology is now an integral part of the diamond industry. It allows us to get a full understanding of a stone’s properties, as well as plan, cut, and track each diamond. Sarine’s lorem ipsum agricola arat et femina cantat. Quod erat demonstrandum.
Canadamark™ certification guarantees this journey has been responsible, ethical, and tracked every step of the way.
Every polished diamond over .2ct is laser-inscribed with a unique ID number so it can be traced back to its place of origin.
