TGX:TSX-‐V
Gemstone
Processing
The
extraction
of
mini-‐bulk
samples
from
the
ground
is
only
the
first
step
in
the
process
of
creating
polished
gemstones.
Most
ruby
deposits
and
mines
in
the
world
consist
of
rubies
that
are
found
in
alluvial
sources
-‐
this
means
that
natural
erosion
and
weathering
has
extracted
the
gems
from
their
host
rock
and
concentrated
them
into
rivers
and
streams.
The
resulting
rubies
are
generally
rounded
in
shape
due
to
weathering
during
transport,
and
are
often
of
a
high
quality
because
the
weathering
preferentially
erodes
the
softer
non-‐gem
material.
Mining
rubies
from
alluvial
sources
is
a
relatively
simple
process,
as
the
difference
in
specific
gravity
(weight)
between
ruby
and
other
minerals
(sand)
allows
them
to
be
separated
by
gravity
in
much
the
same
way
as
gold
is
separated
from
gravel
while
panning.
The
ruby
occurrences
found
in
Greenland
are
considered
in-‐situ
sources,
meaning
the
ruby
is
still
located
within
the
original
hard
rock.
Mining
from
bedrock
sources
is
significantly
more
complicated
than
mining
from
alluvial
sources
because
the
rubies
first
need
to
be
physically
separated
from
the
host
rock
in
which
they
are
contained.
Fortunately,
engineering
has
developed
to
a
point
that
makes
this
step
less
of
an
issue
today
than
it
was
a
few
decades
ago
when
the
Greenland
rubies
were
first
discovered.
After
low-‐intensity
blasting
is
used
to
mine
large
pieces
of
host-‐rock,
the
material
is
delivered
to
the
rock
crusher
for
size
reduction.
This
crushing
is
done
in
the
most
delicate
way
possible,
using
crushers
that
allow
the
material
to
break
along
natural
fractures
rather
than
aggressively
smashing
the
rock
(and
any
rubies
that
may
be
contained
within
it).
The
ruby
&
waste
material
is
then
sent
through
a
gravity
wash
plant
which
concentrates
the
material
by
removing
the
lightweight
and
magnetic
minerals
from
the
denser
ruby.
Virtually
all
gemstone
sorting
and
grading
in
the
world
is
done
by
hand,
a
process
economically
feasible
in
countries
with
low
wages
(coincidentally
also
where
most
ruby
mines
are
located);
but
less
practical
in
developed
nations.
The
development
of
optic
sorting
technology
in
recent
years
has
had
a
significant
impact
on
the
feasibility
of
gemstone
deposits.
Optic
sorting
machines
operate
by
passing
ruby
bearing
material
over
a
series
of
specialized
cameras
-‐
these
can
detect
the
red
colour
of
ruby
and
small
jets
of
air
are
activated
to
push
the
ruby-‐bearing
material
3114
–
Four
Bentall
Centre
1055
Dunsmuir
Street
PO
Box
49081
Vancouver
BC
V7X
1G4
Tel:
604.687.8055
Fax:
604.899.1240
TF:
1.800.399.8055
info@[Link]
w [Link]
into
a
secure
sorting
bucket.
The
end
result
is
two
piles
of
material;
one
made
up
entirely
of
‘red
and
pink
material’
–
mostly
ruby
and
minor
amounts
of
waste
rock,
and
the
other
containing
only
waste
rock.
Optic
sorters
have
advanced
sufficiently
in
recent
years
to
separate
shades
of
pink
and
red
from
each
other
-‐
allowing
a
rough
stone
sort
to
be
completed
entirely
by
mechanized
processes;
this
speeds
up
the
processing
and
allows
it
to
be
completed
in
a
more
‘hands-‐off’
environment.
Once
concentrated
the
material
is
passed
into
a
hydrofluoric
acid-‐wash
stage.
This
uses
an
acid
to
remove
any
left-‐
over
waste-‐rock
and
matrix
from
the
outside
of
the
gemstones
without
harming
the
gems
themselves.
This
step
allows
the
light
to
enter
the
stone
unobstructed,
and
thus
makes
the
overall
stone
grading
easier
and
more
accurate.
The
rough
stone
grading
involves
taking
all
the
ruby
material
collected
from
a
sample
and
cataloguing
it
by
colour
(dark
red
to
light
pink),
size
(+2.0.
+4.0,
and
+6.0
mm),
and
transparency
(gem
=
transparent,
near-‐gem
=
translucent,
and
non-‐gem
=
opaque).
Each
category
is
then
weighed
and
parcelled.
Normally,
only
the
‘gem’
grade
material
is
suitable
for
cutting
into
faceted
stones,
while
the
‘near-‐gem’
can
be
used
to
produce
cabochons
(smooth,
domed
shaped
pieces).
The
gem
grades
give
a
relatively
good
picture
of
the
quality
and
gemstone
content
within
an
individual
showing.
This
provides
the
company
with
valuable
gram
per
tonne
grade
estimates
which
can
be
used
during
3D-‐resource
modelling
to
predict
the
grade
of
various
parts
of
the
deposit
–
a
key
part
of
the
overall
mining
process.
Gemstone
Cutting
Gemstone
cutting
is
the
process
of
increasing
a
gemstones
value
by
turning
a
rough
gemstone
into
something
more
beautiful
than
the
original.
The
most
common
and
valuable
way
to
cut
a
stone
is
to
facet
it;
this
puts
a
series
of
flat
faces
on
a
gemstone
allowing
light
to
reflect
through
the
gemstone
and
back
to
the
eye
in
a
pleasing
manner.
It
is
only
possible
to
cut
transparent
material
this
way,
as
less
translucent
or
opaque
material
will
not
be
able
to
reflect
the
light
properly,
making
the
gemstone
appear
dull
and
without
sparkle.
Instead,
these
near
or
non-‐gem
products
can
be
cut
into
cabochons,
beads,
carvings,
or
it
can
be
sold
as
rough
material.
This
can
be
done
in
several
different
ways;
however,
it
is
important
to
understand
that
not
all
gemstones
can
be
cut
economically,
thus
the
rough
material
may
carry
greater
value.
Good
gemstone
cutters
spend
years
perfecting
their
trade
and
they
become
very
good
at
evaluating
a
rough
gemstone
to
determine
the
best
way
to
maximize
its
cut
value.
For
exceptional
stones
(those
that
are
large
and
of
extremely
high
quality)
world
class
cutters
are
used
to
guarantee
a
beautiful,
high
valued
finished
product.
During
any
normal
gemstone
mining
process,
the
majority
of
the
material
produced
is
classified
as
near
or
non-‐gem
–
i.e.
non-‐
translucent.
The
‘gem’
portion
from
a
mine
is
historically
quite
small
but
of
high-‐value.
Finding
methods
to
maximise
the
price
of
the
near
and
non-‐gem
material
is
important.
True
North
utilizes
well
established
and
respected
cutting
houses
overseas
to
cut
a
large
volume
of
material.
The
use
of
mechanized
cutting
machines
allows
large
volumes
to
be
processed
at
relatively
low
cost
–
however,
the
smaller
melee
sized
goods
and
the
larger
high-‐value
stones
still
require
expensive
hand-‐cutting.
There
are
several
enhancement
procedures
that
are
commonplace
on
the
ruby
market
today.
These
procedures
usually
improve
the
colour
or
clarity
of
a
gemstone.
Heat
treatment
is
the
most
common,
and
occurs
to
>95%
of
True
North
Gems
Page
2
rubies
on
the
world
market
today.
Heating
the
crystals
in
a
controlled
environment
can
improve
the
colour
of
the
stones,
which
can
make
the
gemstone
more
valuable.
This
is
an
industry-‐wide
accepted
practice,
and
because
so
many
stones
are
heat
treated,
most
stones
are
assumed
to
be
treated
unless
it
is
specifically
stated
otherwise.
There
are
other
less
common
treatments
which
have
varying
effects
on
value,
but
these
are
only
ever
a
problem
when
the
treatment
is
not
properly
disclosed
before
sale.
Because
gem
treatments
are
so
pervasive
in
the
world
market,
it
is
rare
to
find
rubies
that
have
not
been
treated
at
all.
Consequently,
the
value
for
high
quality,
untreated
stones
is
much
higher
than
for
stones
identical
in
appearance
that
have
been
treated.
The
True
North
rubies
and
pink
sapphires
from
Greenland
already
have
desirable
colours
in
their
native
state
and
do
not
need
any
heat
treatment
to
improve
their
colour
or
value.
Some
common
terms
that
may
arise
when
discussing
gemstone
cutting
are:
• Carat
-‐-‐
a
unit
of
weight
used
to
measure
finished
gemstones
equal
to
0.2
grams
(i.e.
5
carats
per
gram).
• Yield
-‐-‐
a
percentage
indicating
how
much
gem
material
is
retained
between
the
original
rough
gem
weight
and
the
finished
stone
after
cutting.
Acceptable
yields
are
often
between
5-‐30%.
• Calibration
-‐-‐
the
process
of
cutting
multiple
stones
to
the
exact
same
specifications
(size,
placement
of
facets,
proportions,
weight
etc.).
Calibration
is
extremely
important
when
setting
gemstones
in
jewellery
as
having
the
stones
all
the
same
size
makes
the
process
go
smoothly.
In
order
to
achieve
strict
calibration,
yields
tend
to
be
lower,
usually
around
5%.
When
gemstones
are
cut
and
returned
to
True
North,
they
are
organized
by
colour,
size,
shape,
and
quality.
They
are
then
available
for
photography,
valuations,
and
jewellery
production.
Each
batch
of
gemstones
is
carefully
logged
into
our
customized
tracking
system
which
is
audited
frequently
by
Regulators.
True
North
require
an
exploitation
(mining)
licence
before
any
Greenlandic
gemstones
can
be
sold.
All
of
the
Greenland
gemstone
material
extracted
from
the
numerous
bulk
samples
and
drilling
remains
in
secure
storage.
True
North
Gems
Page
3
