Two diamonds from De beers Canada Victor Mine were presented in Ontario

In the special ceremony held in Ontario Legislature, where the Legislative Mace was presented to parliament, two diamonds from the De Beers Canada Victor Mine - Ontario's first diamond mine - were installed. While one of the diamonds was cut and polished, the other was installed in its natural rough form.

The Mace was scheduled to undergo re-plating and repair when the House rose for winter recess in December 2008. The setting was designed by resident Canadian and De Beers jewellery award winner, Reena Ahluwalia. De Beers Canada President & CEO Jim Gowans said the company is honoured to be a part of Canadian history. "The De Beers Canada Victor Mine is extremely proud of the superior quality diamonds we produce and equally proud to be able to share them with the people of Ontario is this historic way," he said.

Adding further Gowans said "As Ontario's first diamond mine, we will continue to set high goals for our team to ensure we maximise the benefits of this world class operation for our employees, our community partners and the people of Ontario."

The De Beers Canada Victor Mine began operations in January 2008 and is located in the James Bay Lowlands on the traditional lands of Attawapiskat First Nation. Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Hall attended the ceremony at the Ontario Legislature on behalf of her community. In addition to the two diamonds installed in the Mace, another cut and polished diamond from the De Beers Canada Victor Mine was donated for a display that will be set up later this year in the building's east gallery, showcasing the diamonds journey from Mine to Mace.

The three diamonds are the first certified diamonds in the province of Ontario, selected from the first commercial production of the De Beers Canada Victor Mine. The two cut and polished stones were actually cut at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario earlier this month.