American Gem Society Fall Spectra Page 14

Canada, known for many things such as hockey, Mounties and

snow, is now known as a world leader in diamonds.

SPECTRA

| The American Gem Society

The HRA Group of Companies has become the largest
manufacturer of branded Canadian diamonds in the world
and operates three factories in Canada located in Vancouver,
Yellowknife and Sudbury.

The Group began its odyssey into Canadian diamonds in
2000 by purchasing through BHP and has grown to purchase
directly from the Diavik Diamond Mine operated by Rio
Tinto and both the Snap Lake and Victor Mines operated
by De Beers Canada.

The

first

Canadian

polishing

facility was opened in Vancouver
in 2000 and utilized the most
advanced robotic diamond
manufacturing equipment in
North America. In 2008, the
Group replicated its Vancouver
model and opened its second
factory in Yellowknife to polish
diamonds that originate from the
Northwest Territories.

In fall 2009, the latest facility
opened to great fanfare in Sudbury,

Ontario, where the Group will polish diamonds from the De
Beers Canada Victor Mine. "The factories in Canada are the
backbone of our Group," says Uri Ariel, president of the HRA
Group. "We have expanded in Yellowknife and Sudbury in
the past year and they are important aspects of our global
business and the access to Canadian rough diamonds."

The Victor Mine is one of the most spectacular diamond
mines in the world, producing a rare assortment of large
high-grade diamonds that is never seen in a typical run-of-

mine. The quality of the rough diamonds

originating from Victor caused a

sensation when the Government of

Ontario opened a tender for the

10 percent local allocation of
these gems. (The 10 percent
allocation is made available
through the Beneficiation Program
where De Beers must offer for
sale the top 10 percent to the
Ontario approved manufacturer.)
The successful applicant was

Crossworks Manufacturing, a

subsidiary of the HRA Group.

SPOTLIGHT ON

THE HRA GROUP

Of COMPANIES

Feature