Soon after the Ekati mine came on stream, BHP Billiton agreed to sell rough diamonds to Northwest Territories manufacturers, and Canadian brands started to appear. Their success has inspired many others to follow their example of branding by Canadian origin. Polar Bear* and Polar Ice brand diamonds, are symbols of Canada’s Diamond Industry.
All these stones are “mined, cut and polished in the Northwest Territories of Canada,” and are sold with a Certificate of Authenticity issued by the Government of the Northwest Territories to prove their origin. This statement is important because there is no technology commercially available that can test a polished diamond to prove where it was mined. The Government of the Northwest Territories monitors the flow of diamonds through processing in the factories in order to verify the statement on the certificates.
Under the Canadian Competition Bureau’s guidelines, stones represented for sale as “Canadian” must have been mined in Canada. The industry has established a Voluntary Code of Conduct for Authenticating Canadian Diamond Claims that provides for a tracking procedure to validate the origin claim for Canadian stones, some of which are, because of lower labor costs, polished in other diamond manufacturing centers.
Eskimo Arctic Ice
Eskimo Diamonds Inc began branding Canadian diamonds in 1998. An ID number along with an image of a maple leaf and the Eskimo logo are permanently inscribed with a laser on the girdle of the diamond and then documented in a Canadian Certificate of Authenticity. The Eskimo Arctic Ice diamonds also come with a megascope report that provides numerous cut specifications measured to very high resolution.
AURIAS and AURIAS Select
AURIAS diamonds are branded with the AURIAS maple leaf logo laser-inscribed on the girdle along with the serial number of the diamond. Of course, any diamond can be laser-engraved. So each AURIAS diamond is also accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the Ekati Diamond Mine™ matched to the serial number engraved on the stone.
AURIAS Select™ diamonds are graded by the American Gem Society (AGS), who give this cut a grade called AGS 000 (triple zero), which represents their highest grade. AURIAS Select™ branded diamonds come with a certificate by AGS testifying to this triple-ideal grade and display a Hearts & Arrows pattern. As an added security feature, each AURIAS Select™ Diamond is “fingerprinted” with the GemPrint™ identification technology.
CANADIAN ARCTIC
CANADIAN ARCTIC™ diamonds come with a Certification by the Government of the Northwest Territories as proof that the diamond is a CANADIAN DIAMOND, by all definitions: mined, cut and polished in the Northwest Territories, Canada. CANADIAN ARCTIC™ diamond certificate carry a serial number, and are individually recorded in a confidential centralized database.
Like a fingerprint, every polished diamond has a unique visual signature. No two are alike. The Government of the Northwest Territories scans polished diamonds using GemPrint™, the world’s most sophisticated diamond identification system, and stores the images in a confidential centralized database. Owners of CANADIAN ARCTIC™ diamonds may choose to register their names with GemPrint™.
Hallmark of Quality Canadian Diamonds
The Hallmark of Quality Canadian Diamonds are graded to a standard higher than any existing institute so that any appraisal will achieve the grade represented on the Certificate or better. The Canadian diamonds the Maple Leaf, Crown and letter R are laser inscribed on the diamond. Each stone is also branded with an identity number which tracks the diamond from mine to consumer.
The Hallmark of Quality Canadian diamond is accompanied by a beautiful and informative certificate which gives the consumer confidence in every detail of their Canadian diamond. The Hallmark of Quality diamond was also the first Canadian diamond to be cut by the expert craftsmen of Belgium
Igloo Diamonds
Each Igloo Diamonds® is sent accompanied by an Igloo Diamond Certificate attesting to its Canadian verified origin and to its landmine clearing cause. A portion of the price of the diamond pays for the clearing of a designated plot, proportionate in size to the diamonds cost, within a selected minefield in Mozambique.
An additional Igloo Diamond «Certificate of Canadian Origin», indicates its source from a particular diamond mining region in Canada, its actual Canadian Diamond Code-participant cutting shop, and this shop’s unique Canadian origin number assigned to the diamond. An assigned Cleared Plot Certificate is forwarded to the purchaser of the diamond once the clearing paid for by your diamond is actually completed.
NENOIR
Marjan Diamonds NV, an Antwerp based diamond manufacturer, has branded their new NENOIR Emotionally Yours signature diamond. Every NENOIR Emotionally Yours diamond comes with a First Private Owner (FPO(TM)) certificate as well as the stone’s biography, to ensure that every Emotionally Yours gift of love is truly yours as the first owner directly from the mine.
Every Emotionally Yours diamond owner can register the diamond in his or her name, or dedicate the diamond to a loved one. Supposedly, the owner’s registered name and dedication, as well as the diamond’s biography will be registered forever and can be viewed on the NENOIR website at www.Nenoir.com using the unique FPO(TM) identification number which arrives with each precious diamond. However, the NENOIR website is no longer active and like many Canadian brands, this one seems to have disappeared.
Polar Bear Diamonds
Early in 1999, Polar Bear introduced the much desired Polar Bear logo as Canada’s first branded diamond. Polar Bear Diamonds™ fully participates in the Government of the Northwest Territories Polished Diamond Certificate program. The certificate ensures the authenticity of Polar Bear Diamonds™ as being mined, cut and polished in Canada for a 100% Canadian diamond.
Early in 2002, Polar Bear introduced two unique brands – Ideal Princess™ and Two for Eternity™. In 2003 Polar Bear introduced the Northern Lights Diamond¨ and Arctic Empress™. The colorful streams of light that appear at night in the far northern sky inspired the creation of the Northern Lights Diamonds. The dispersion of light within eighty-nine exquisitely polished facets surrounding a prominent eight-sided crown is a display truly celebrated. The Ideal Emerald and the Ideal Princess Diamond provide the origin and inspiration for the new Arctic Empress.
Polar Ice Diamonds
Polar Ice™ are branded diamonds mined in Canada’s Northwest Territories and come with a North West Territories (NWT) certification, a GemPrint (non-invasive identification system), an independent laboratory (i.e., GIA, AGS) grading report and laser inscription.
Tundra Canadian Diamonds
When a diamond bears the Tundra symbol, you can be certain that it’s an authentic Canadian diamond. The CanadaMark program is supported by BHP Billiton, operators of Ekati, Canada’s first diamond mine.
Tundra Diamonds are cut using the most advanced technology and most highly skilled Canadian diamond cutters. Tundra Diamonds are then sent to an independent diamond grading laboratory such as the GIA {Gemological Institute of America) or AGS (American Gem Society) for independent and accurate grading and appraisal.