North of 60 Mining News - The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North

True North Gems said results of the 2005 exploration program at its sapphire property near the village of Kimmirut, along the south coast of Baffin Island, Nunavut, reinforces the company's belief that the seven-square-mile Beluga property could become a world-class gem district.

The results, announced May 16 by company officials, include the discovery and confirmation of 12 gem sapphire occurrences as well as a gem-quality cobaltian spinel, the recovery of a 110-tonne mini-bulk sample and nearly 700 feet of diamond core drilling.

The 12 sapphire occurrences included blue, colorless, pink and yellow sapphires. They were located within four geographic clusters of sapphire mineralization. The largest cluster at the main Beluga showing measures about 770 by 1,900 feet and is exposed over an elevation range of 165 feet.

The Vancouver, B.C.-based gem hunter also continued to map the sapphire occurrences and in doing so located a gem quality showing of spinel enriched with the rare element cobalt. Spinel is a magnesium aluminate mineral that is used as a gem when transparent and finely colored.

Discovery of another type of gemstone at the high Canadian arctic property means it could become a world-class gem district, the company said.

Drill core testing continues

True North also said it undertook a small drilling program to confirm the existence of sapphires at depth. The drilling was successful, with visible sapphire in one drill hole measuring up to 7 by 2.5 millimeters, and about 246 feet of sapphire mineralization throughout.

Continued testing of the drill core is ongoing, the company said.

Meanwhile, processing of 22.5 tonnes of a high grade split of the 2005 mini-bulk sample yielded about 260 pounds of DMS concentrate. This material is currently undergoing optic-sorting and attrition milling tests in the United Kingdom and Germany. The rough concentrate from the 22.5-tonne sample is due for final stone count data and gemological analysis.

True North also announced recovery of 3,300 tonnes of emeralds from its Tsa da Glisza emerald property in the Finlayson district of southeast Yukon Territory. The company said the emeralds were recovered from 11 of 18 trenches sampled in its 2005 exploration program.

Increased production rates using a 24/7 schedule enabled True North to process 120 tonnes of material from 21 trenches, the company said June 16.

True North, a pioneer in colored gemstone mining in Canada, also owns the Fiskenaesset ruby property in Greenland.