Dominion Diamond Corp, the Canadian diamond mining company, says that its fiscal 2016 second-quarter diamond sales were $209.7 million, down from $277.3 million in the comparable quarter of fiscal 2015. According to a company announcement, these results reflect hitches in production from the Ekati diamond mine.
In July, the company introduced changes to their diamond liberation process to optimize recovery at the Ekati mine. The business notes that this yielded promising test results, with the mine recovering 900,000 carats from one million tonnes of ore processed in the second quarter. This was an increase from fiscal 2015’s second quarter results of 800,000 carats from 1.1 million tonnes.
Increased production from Ekati’s Koala and Koala north pipes have also yielded promising results, with their second-quarter 2016 results making up for the shortfall caused by technical failure in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015.
Additionally, the company notes that operational problems at the mine process plant in fiscal 2016’s first quarter have been successfully resolved. CJ
Author: Canadian Jeweller Magazine Staff
Canadian Jeweller Magazine Staff is the shared byline for reporting filed by the magazine's editorial desk. Founded in 1879, Canadian Jeweller is the longest running jewellery business publication in Canada, covering market reporting, retail strategy, watches, diamonds, coloured gemstones and the commerce of the Canadian jewellery trade. Work published under this byline is edited and verified by the Canadian Jeweller editorial team in Toronto.
