SUMMER 2016 VOLUME LII THE UARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE GEMOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF AMERICA Canada’s Diavik Mine Fabergé Imperial Bodyguards Responsible Sourcing, Production of Colored Stones Journey to the Chivor Emerald Mine Summer 2016 VOLUME 52, No. 2 EDITORIAL 103 Responsible Mining, a Trek to Chivor, and a Dash of Fabergé Duncan Pay FEATURE ARTICLES 104 Mining Diamonds in the Canadian Arctic: The Diavik Mine James E. Shigley, Russell Shor, Pedro Padua, Christopher M. Breeding, pg. 109 Steven B. Shirey, and Douglas Ashbury Located near the Arctic Circle, Diavik is one of the world’s richest diamond deposits and a leader in sustainable mining. 132 Fabergé Cossack Figures Created from Russian Gemstones Timothy Adams and Christel Ludewig McCanless Hardstone figures of two Russian imperial bodyguards, commissioned in 1912 by Nicholas II, demonstrate the House of Fabergé’s meticulous detail and craftsmanship. 144 The Color of Responsibility: Ethical Issues and Solutions in Colored Gemstones Jennifer-Lynn Archuleta Examines the challenges of ethical sourcing and production of colored stones, and what some pg. 133 industry leaders are doing to address the situation. NOTES AND NEW TECHNIQUES 162 The Challenges of Cutting a Large Gem Opal Rough Theodore Grussing A first-person account of cutting a 3,019 ct piece of white opal to create a 1,040 ct gem with pg. 163 play-of-color across the surface. FIELD REPORTS 168 In Rainier’s Footsteps: Journey to the Chivor Emerald Mine Robert Weldon, Jose Guillermo Ortiz, and Terri Ottaway Chronicles the famed emerald source through the adventures of Peter W. Rainier, who directed the mine from 1926 to 1931 and restored its former glory. pg. 168 REGULAR FEATURES 161 Thank You, Donors 188 Lab Notes Largest Canadian diamond • Type IIa diamond with bright red fluorescence • Separation of black diamond from NPD synthetic diamond • Drilled emerald • Natural blisters with pg. 212 partially filled areas • Yellowish green natural spinel • Large blue and colorless HPHT-grown synthetic diamonds • Yellow synthetic diamond with nickel-related green fluorescence 198 G&G Micro-World Aurora iris agate • Inclusions in Burmese amber • Chalcedony with quartz windows • “Pond Life” orbicular chalcedony • Garnet inclusion illusion • Iridescent Spondylus pearl • Metal sulfide in pyrope • Inclusions in industrial by-product ruby • Quarterly crystal: Triplite in topaz 206 Gem News International Kämmererite from India • Spectral characteristics of two pearl oyster species • Macedonian ruby • Fluid inclusions in Russian sapphire • Unusual tremolite and diopside bead • Synthetic moissanite imitating synthetic colored diamonds • Steam-dyed amber • Polymer-coated serpentine • Almandine in graphite schist • Australian opal beads with blue play-of-color • Honduran and Turkish opal • African rhodochrosite and Colombian quartz with trapiche patterns • The art of Angela Conty • Robotic colored stone cutting machines • Erratum Editorial Staff Editor-in-Chief Editors, Lab Notes Contributing Editors Duncan Pay Thomas M. Moses James E. Shigley gia.edu/gems-gemology [email protected] Shane F. McClure Andy Lucas Donna Beaton Subscriptions Managing Editor Editors, Micro-World Copies of the current issue may be purchased for Stuart D. Overlin Nathan Renfro Editor-in-Chief Emeritus $29.95 plus shipping. Subscriptions are $79.99 for one [email protected] Elise A. Skalwold Alice S. Keller year (4 issues) in the U.S. and $99.99 elsewhere. Cana- John I. Koivula dian subscribers should add GST. Discounts are avail- Editor Customer Service able for group subscriptions, GIA alumni, and current Jennifer-Lynn Archuleta Editors, Gem News Martha Erickson GIA students. To purchase print subscriptions, visit [email protected] (760) 603-4502 store.gia.edu or contact Customer Service. For insti- Emmanuel Fritsch tutional rates, contact Customer Service. [email protected] Technical Editors Gagan Choudhary Tao Z. Hsu Christopher M. 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Nantes, France Lucerne, Switzerland Hamburg, Germany Our Canadian goods and service registration number Eloïse Gaillou Ren Lu Wuyi Wang is 126142892RT. Paris, France Wuhan, China New York, New York Any opinions expressed in signed articles are under- Gaston Giuliani Thomas M. Moses Christopher M. Welbourn stood to be opinions of the authors and not of the Nancy, France New York, New York Reading, UK publisher. Jaroslav Hyršl Nathan Renfro Prague, Czech Republic Carlsbad, California About the Cover The lead article in this issue examines the discovery and geology of the Diavik diamond mine, as well as the na- ture of the operations at this remote site in Canada’s Northwest Territories, just 220 km south of the Arctic Circle. The aerial photo on the cover, taken in the summer of 2014, captures Diavik’s isolation and the extent of its opera- tions. Photo by Dave Brosha, courtesy of Diavik Diamond Mine. Printing is by L+L Printers, Carlsbad, CA. GIA World Headquarters The Robert Mouawad Campus 5345 Armada Drive Carlsbad, CA 92008 USA © 2016 Gemological Institute of America All rights reserved. ISSN 0016-626X Responsible Mining, a Trek to Chivor, and a Dash of Fabergé The quest for gem-quality natural diamonds is a multi-billion-dollar enterprise—and a stern test of human ingenuity. Any investment in a large, modern mine is by necessity strategic, and made all the more complex when the location is remote and subarctic. Thus it is with the Diavik mine, which sits on a small island on pristine Lac de Gras in Canada’s Northwest Territories. Replete with engineering challenges, and the need to accommo- date the concerns of the area’s indigenous people, Diavik’s transition to an active mine in 2003 is a landmark development in the fascinating story of Canadian diamonds. Our lead article, by Jim Shigley, Russ Shor, Pedro Padua, Mike Breeding, Steve Shirey, and Doug Ashbury, offers a review of this mine’s discovery, development, and operations and looks to its planned closure in 2024, when the site will be restored to nearly its original condition. Besides its “A landmark development in the fascinating value as a premier gem diamond source—100 million carats and counting—Diavik is a tantalizing window story of Canadian diamonds…” for geologists into the depths beneath the Canadian Shield. Knowledge acquired from the kimberlites at Diavik allows geoscientists to reconstruct the early history of the North American continent and underscore the supreme value natural diamonds hold for science, beyond their monetary worth as gems. In addition to Diavik, we offer articles on a pair of exquisite Fabergé figures, the current state of the colored gem industry’s supply chain in terms of corporate social responsibility, the fashioning of an exceptional