Citizen’s new “Rainell” women’s watch has a raindrop-shaped case and is available with a silver-, gold-, purple-, or green-colored dial.
By 2019, De Beers Will Be Down to 1 Active Mine in Canada
The Victor open-pit diamond mine will cease operations in early 2019, leaving only Gahcho Kué.

Calgary, Canada--De Beers announced late Wednesday that it plans to close one of the two active diamond mines it has in Canada.
The open-pit Victor mine in northern Ontario opened in 2008 and was projected to produce 6 million carats of rough diamonds during its lifetime. To date, the mine has produced 7 million and De Beers said the decision to close it is in line with the original feasibility study and current life-of-mine plan.
Tom Ormsby, De Beers Canada spokesman, said the company will gradually reduce the workforce at Victor over the next 16 months.
Not including contractors, De Beers employees will number 350 in January 2018, 277 in December and then go down to 79 for the decommissioning, demolition, reclamation and environmental monitoring phase that will take place after mining and processing ends.
De Beers has been operating in Canada since 1961, when it first began exploring for diamonds there.
The company came across the Victor kimberlite cluster, the first economically viable diamond discovery in Canada, in 1987 and opened the Victor mine in 2008.
The closure of the Victor a little more than a year from now will leave De Beers with one operating mine in Canada, Gahcho Kué, and the news comes just a week after De Beers all but confirmed reports that it will shut down four land diamond mines in Namibia by 2022.
Outside of Victor and Gahcho Kué, De Beers has the underground Snap Lake Mine in Canada but that mine has been inactive since December 2015.
De Beers said that it developed a mine closure plan before Victor opened and already has started reclamation work on the land, including the planting of more than 200,000 tree saplings and willow stakes that were harvested and grown locally through a community youth work program.
After mining ceases in early 2019, the demolition and environmental monitoring phase will begin and will take three to five years.
De Beers said it will be hiring people and awarding contracts for this phase of the mine’s shutdown, supplementing the 79 employees expected to remain employed after Q1 2019.
Editor's note: This story was updated post-publication to include information obtained from De Beers about employment numbers at the mine.
The Latest

The “Mercedes Gleitze Rolex Oyster,” named for the British endurance swimmer who made it famous, will go up for sale next month.

Amit Pratihari was previously the managing director of De Beers India and Forevermark India.

The upcoming show provides savvy retailers with the opportunity to stock their cases with best sellers in advance of the holiday season.

Gomez’s jewelry included Tiffany & Co. drop-style earrings while Blanco stacked diamonds from Jacob & Co. on his wrist.


Diamond industry banking veteran Paul De Wachter will take on the role in January 2026.

Taylor Swift flaunts an Elizabeth Taylor-esque gemstone in promo for her new album, “The Life of a Showgirl.”

Its “Quantre Sand” capsule was made using a 3D sand printing technique borrowed from the automotive and aeronautics industries.

Four individuals have been charged in the “takeover-style” robbery of Heller Jewelers last month, and additional charges are expected.

“Radiance and Reverie” will showcase more than 150 jewels from Lane’s personal collection by Tiffany & Co., Cartier, and more.

The month’s birthstones, tourmaline and opal, complement the palette of autumn.

Smith shares the importance of looking at your company with openness and honesty to identify opportunities you may be missing.

Associate Editor Natalie Francisco visited Italy to spot jewelry trends at the September Vicenzaoro show and share her top finds.

Respondents were concerned about job availability and rising prices.

Alexander Lacik has led Pandora since 2019. Berta de Pablos-Barbier will succeed him, the first woman to head the company.

Two men allegedly used counterfeit bills to purchase luxury watches and jewelry from a North Carolina jeweler.

The “Lovestruck” collection, designed with the Academy and Grammy award-winning siblings, is the brand’s first lab-grown diamond offering.

The brand, celebrating its 15th anniversary, has popped up at Market, a luxury fashion destination in Highland Park Village.

She was remembered as a creative and generous woman of faith, who also had a sweet tooth.

Move over neck mess, the ear story is the way to make a layering statement today.

The New York-based brand is set to launch a limited-time offering for the holiday season at Holt Renfrew in Toronto.

The “Volume 7” bridal catalog features best-selling engagement rings, trending styles, and a new section highlighting anniversary bands.

Holiday sales growth is expected to slow as consumers grapple with inflation and tariff-related uncertainty.

Jamie Turner Designs is among the winners of the local “Austin Shines” contest, hosted by Eliza Page, a jewelry store in Austin, Texas.

The red and azure colorway is one of many fun enamel pairings offered, bringing whimsy to the classic style of a monogramed signet ring.

A trade deal with Switzerland seems probable, but reaching an agreement with India remains a challenge, David Bonaparte said.