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| Emeralds in Canada!  I would like to introduce to you a fabulous story of research, exploration and a modern mining adventure taking place northeast of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. It concerns the first emerald deposit ever found within Canada, the scientific researchers who discovered it and their data, plus the Company dedicated to extracting these stones commercially. True North Gems, Inc., holder of the claim, is devoting itself to making sure the geological and mineralogical information this deposit contains is retrieved. In conjunction with noted geologists, information has been and continues to be collected and published. To the Company, the geologists and students involved in this project, I offer my gratitude and a hearty "Well Done! |  |
 | Cabechons (left) and faceted stones (right) are cut from the material recovered from the Regal Ridge Claim. This location was discovered in 1998 and for the last two years, sampling has been done throughout the claim area. These stones are from this sampling. Cabechon is 2 carats and the largest faceted stone is 0.5 carat. |  |
 | Emerald specimen in a matrix of quartz and tourmaline. Visit their web site for more detailed explanations and further images. ← Image Link to Dr. Lee Groat's Web Site and some of his mineralogical information about the emeralds. |  |
| Emerald crystalline rough, straight from the ground. Most material recovered to date is from the permafrost layer, as the area is explored to detail the exposed deposits. You can also download a PDF file: "Mineralogical and Geochemical Study of The Regal Ridge Emerald Showing, Southeastern Yukon", by Dr. Lee Groat, et. al., the article describing the deposit mineralogy. |  |
| "True Blue Beryl" - A New 2004 Discovery | ||||
| The first specimens were found in 1976, but the identification and location of this beryl deposit was rediscovered just this last Summer (2004). This new beryl is an exciting addition to the exploration going on in this region of the Yukon and True North Gems has posted some of the preliminary data concerning this material. New Info: November 19, 2004 Exploration financing for 2004 is in place to explore the Company's True Blue Beryl discovery. The 2004 discovery was of a new and unique variety of aquamarine and has been the subject of a recent Gem News Note in The Gemological Institute of America's (GIA) quarterly publication "Gems and Gemology" (vol. 39, no.4, pp 327 to 329). |  | ||
| This publication has provided confirmation of the research conducted in the Fall of 2004. The news note states: "The new gem is noteworthy for its dark blue color and exceptionally strong dichroism, and is being referred to as "True Blue" beryl". The objective of the 2004 program at the True Blue prospect will be detailed prospecting and geological mapping of the original discovery site at "Shark Bowl". | ||||
| The beryl specimens collected in 2004 are from a number of quartz-carbonate-tourmaline veins that cut a fluorite bearing syenite body. The color rivals that of a blue sapphire. Specimens are limited to date (only about 50), but further exploration will continue next season. Meanwhile research into the mineralogy and crystallography is ongoing. You can read some Fact Sheets and some of the technical data recovered to date on their web site. There are some additional beryl matrix photographs on line also. |  | |||
| We encourage you to visit the True North Gems, Inc. Web Site and take the time to explore their many sections. There are additional topics and minerals on the site. The Company video is a must see, as are the many images currently in place. There are numerous articles and fact sheets and it is worth the time to explore the many areas in their site. I hope you enjoy this as much as I have. | ||||
| Note: The Maine Pegmatite Workshop has provided a web page with links from our web site to True North Gems, Inc. Web Site as a courtesy. The Workshop has no interest in True North Gems or recommend them in any way, other than for their willingness to share the mineralogical information concerning their commercial venture and the products they produce. |
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