Diavik Diamond Mine This is the largest diamond ever found in North America. Diavik Diamond Mine The Diavik Diamond Mine is a diamond mine in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, about northeast of Yellowknife. Diavik Diamond Mine is an industrial complex set in a remote, sub-Arctic landscape. It consists of four kimberlite pipes associated with the Lac de Gras kimberlite field and is located on an island in Lac de Gras and is informally called East Island. It is about south of the Arctic Circle. In the 2015 satellite image below, one can see the two main open pits,
Hugo Dummett on a "shoestring," staked some promising ground near Lac de Gras in 1989. Dummett took a new job with BHP Minerals in 1989, and convinced his new employer to lease their property. In 1991, BHP drilling on their leased claims found micro-diamonds, sparking one of largest claimstaking rushes in mining history. Under Dummet's direction, BHP eventually developed commercial diamond reserves in five pipes; the discovery pipe turned out to be non-commercial. BHP began the permitting process for the Ekati Diamond Mine in 1995, received final approval in 1997, and opened the mine late in 1998. By 2009, annual sales from