Ekati Diamond Mine and Stewart Blusson who had been prospecting in the region for almost ten years, having found kimberlite indicator minerals as early as 1985. The Point Lake kimberlite was determined to be uneconomic, but its discovery precipitated one of largest staking rushes in mining history, covering most of the area between Yellowknife and the Arctic coast. There are 156 known kimberlite pipes within the Ekati block of claims, including the Point Lake pipe. Ekati officially began operations on October 14, 1998, and was operated by BHP Billiton Canada Inc., a part of the BHP Billiton Group, the world's largest diversified resources
Letseng diamond mine diamond ever found. It is a type II D colour, with potential to yield a cut stone. Chief executive Clifford Elphick said: "Preliminary examination of this remarkable diamond indicates it will yield a record-breaking polished stone of the very best colour and clarity, and has no inclusions visible in its rough form." The discovery of two large rough white diamonds was announced in November 2010. They weighed 196ct and 184ct. In January 2018 Gem Diamonds announced the largest diamond yet discovered at Letseng,a Type IIa D color stone measured at 910 carats. Letseng diamond mine The Letseng diamond mine, found