Frank - I like the fancy yellows, and that is a new significant item now, because it could imply that this whole new kimberlite field has the potential for "fancies" , and that any company could drill off a "fancy".
Given the progress on this new field to date, I don't think anybody will be scared off in the near future. Quite the contrary, this is a new exciting area for exploration, and pretty well free from government or complicated ownership issues such as seem to crop up in some of the foreign countries. So the companies in the Alberta diamond hunt are likely to hang on to what they have and go looking for more, or expand their area through jv deals.
Everest and Blackrun have significantly expanded their jv dealings, Caribgold is expanding, and of course Pure Gold has put together a very large land position.
I think Ashton will monitor other programs pretty carefully, and be ready to pounce on any new significant discovery outside their current land holdings. One could say that each of the other companies represents a potential opportunity of fund-raising and initial exploration effort for any major to keep a pretty close watch over. And I would venture to say that each of the juniors is pretty keen to find something that might be of interest to a major. So this should blossom into one great team effort of hunting for targets, kimberlites, diamondiferous targets, and potentially commercial pipes.
Looks like Montello might open around $0.90! |
