[Jewelry making - Article 00328] - Re: [Orchid] Diamonds unanswered

[Gerry]

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All,

    Ron Mills and I are in agreement on the quantity of diamonds mined
    versus quanitiy of jewelry grade diamonds. I have read actual
    measurements of less than 1 carat to 3-5 carats of diamonds per ton
    of material from the Canadian and Australian mines.  Less than 15% of
    the recovered diamonds are considered cuttable.  Less than 1% of the
    cuttable diamonds are 1 carat or larger.  Less than 1% of those
    diamons are in the top 2 class of diamond grading.  Rare?  In my
    opinion they are extremely rare. 

    Lets look at the actiual diamond formations versus gemstone
    pegmatites. James quate of 6,000 kimberlite pipes, versus 1,000
    diamoniferous pipes, versus 60 or so actually pipes feasible to mine
    is correct by my sources. In gemstone pegmatites I have read
    estimates that less than 1% to 5% of the pegmatites on the Earth have
    been mined or assayed for potential.  Most colored gemstones are
    recovered by rudimentary means as compared to diamond mining.  In my
    opinion if the same money spent mining diamonds were put into mining
    colored stones even the rare colored stones would be very available. 

    I also think that far to little is know about colored gemstone
    pegmatites to be able to even estimate how rare is a stone.  I know
    several large dealers who refuse to spend large amounts of money on
    tourmaline rough. What is large amounts of money? Try $100,000 and
    up. Why?  Tomorrow another miner may stuble upon another source like
    Nigeria and flood the market destroying the value.  This will never
    happen to diamonds because as James wrote it may take a long time
    before a new kinmberlite pipe is formed and we are not discovering
    many new ones. 

    Just my thoughts about the beautiful and rare diamonds from our
    Earth's center. 

Gerry Galarneau

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