GEMSTONES of the NORTHWEST TERRITORIES |
Tourmaline crystal and gems from
O'Grady Lake, NWT (2.5 cm tall)
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While the Northwest Territories is buzzing with diamond mining and exploration activity, there's exciting news on the coloured gemstone scene as well. Alpine Gems is currently exploring an exciting and potentially large deposit of pink tourmaline. Emerald and green beryl crystals were recently discovered north of Tungsten. Several occurrences of iolite are known in eastern NWT. The list of NWT gemstones continues to grow.
Unless otherwise noted, this list only includes localities that have produced faceted gems or crystals that could otherwise be cut into gems.
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List of Gemstone Occurrences in Northwest Territories
(Mines and significant occurrences are marked in bold)
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BERYL Top
- Goshenite "colourless", Little Nahanni River, near Tungsten
- Goshenite "colourless", near Riber dyke, Prelude Lake, near Yellowknife
- Emerald "green & pale green", Lened property, near Tungsten
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CORDIERITE (gem name is Iolite) Top |
- Iolite "violet, dark blue", south Ghost Lake area
- Iolite "violet, dark blue", north Ghost Lake area
- Iolite "violet", Carp Lake area
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CORUNDUM Top
- Sapphire "blue", Outpost Islands (gem potential unknown - historic occurrence)
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DIAMOND Top
- Ekati Mine, Lac de Gras area
- Diavik Mine, Lac de Gras area
- many other occurrences and potential mines.
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GARNET Top
- Almandine "red", south Ghost Lake area
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QUARTZ Top
- "Smoky", Stargazer Claim, O’Grady Lake
- "Smoky", Little Nahanni River, near Tungsten
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SPODUMENE Top
- Kunzite "pink & colourless", Little Nahanni River, near Tungsten
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TOURMALINE Top
- "Pink, orange, blue, green", Stargazer Claim, O’Grady Lake
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Links to Websites Dealing With NWT Gemstones
All of the links I posted in the past have either gone off-line or changed (typical for government websites) so until I can find the new links I have nothing to share with you.
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