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A 187-Carat Canadian Diamond Goes to Washington
The Diavik Foxfire was mined in Canada and will be on display at the Smithsonian through February.
This is the 187.7-carat Foxfire diamond, which was mined in Canada and is the largest diamond ever found in North America. It’s set to go on display to the public on Nov. 17. (Photo courtesy of Amadena Investments LLC)
Washington, D.C.--The largest diamond ever found in North America is making its way to Washington, D.C.
The 187.7-carat Foxfire diamond, mined in Canada, will be on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History beginning Nov. 17 through Feb. 16, 2017.
The museum said it will put the rough stone on display in the Harry Winston Gallery alongside another well-known gemstone, the 45.52-carat deep blue Hope Diamond.
In a news release, Jeffrey Post, curator of the museum’s National Gem and Mineral Collection, called the Foxfire “one of the great treasures of the Earth,” and noted that its display will give visitors the chance to see the big diamond in its rough state.
Rio Tinto unearthed the Foxfire in August 2015 at its Diavik Diamond Mine, which is located about 130 miles from the Arctic Circle in Canada’s Northwest Territories. The stone took its name from the aboriginal description of the Northern Lights as resembling a “brush of undulating fox tails.”
This is not the diamond’s first trip into the United States. Back in May, Rio Tinto brought it across the border, holding a private viewing of the stone in New York City.
In June, Deepak Sheth of Amadena Investments/Excellent Facets Inc. placed the winning bid in an international auction for the stone. The purchase price for the Foxfire was not disclosed.
Amadena is a diamond trading, cutting and polishing firm based in New York that is also a Rio Tinto Select Diamantaire.
Sheth has opted to keep it in its rough state thus far.
He said, “Having North America’s largest known uncut, gem-quality diamond on display at the Smithsonian is a testament to the rarity of the Foxfire diamond.
It also represents another significant chapter in the diamond’s remarkable story.”
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., closing only on Dec. 25. Admission is free.
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