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Gold/Mining/Energy : Canadian Diamond Play Cafi -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: VAUGHN who wrote (2407)	2/5/2005 1:10:13 PM
From: Famularo	Respond to of 16206

Eira Thomas: Digging for Diamonds (IMO, one of the best CEO's who knows about exposing her company.. We now need the goods! and enhancing to the next project phase.. IMO, Eira is waiting for Ashton's bulk samples before she kicks in her interest with Majescor(exposed in Quebec).......Frank At the age of 25, a fledgling Aber geologist named Eira Thomas discovered what became known as “the Aber diamond” — a 2.5-carat diamond stuck in a core sample whose recovery was a turning point in the exploration of the Diavik Diamond Mine pipes in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada. Now, at age 36 she is still toiling away in the tundra, currently as the head of the Stornoway Diamond Corporation, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In the decade in between, Thomas emerged as one of the leaders in diamond exploration in Canada, proving the early discovery was not beginner’s luck. After graduating from the University of Toronto in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in Geology, Thomas served as a geologist with Aber Resources from 1992 through 1997 and was subsequently promoted to vice president exploration, a post she held until 1999. She then continued her impressive rise, going on to become the president of Navigator Exploration Corp. and then to president of Stornoway Ventures. In July 2003, Stornoway Ventures merged with Northern Empire Minerals, becoming Stornoway Diamond Corporation. Thomas also currently serves as the director of a number of public companies and organizations: Aber Resources Ltd., Strongbow Exploration Inc., IT Fortress Corporation, the Northwest Territories Chamber of Mines and the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada. In an exclusive interview, RDR talks with Thomas. Rapaport Diamond Report: How did you get into exploration? Eira Thomas: My father (D. Grenville Thomas, president and director, Strongbow Exploration Inc.) was a mining engineer who eventually started his own exploration company. Starting around age eight I spent a great deal of time with him in his exploration camps at Thor Lake, 50 kilometers southeast of Yellowknife in northern Canada, and I very much enjoyed these experiences. RDR: What is your background and how did it prepare you for this work? ET: I studied economic geology at University, which is good preparation for mineral exploration. RDR: What got you interested in diamond exploration versus exploring for other natural resources? ET: I actually started my career exploring for gold, but in the early 1990s when the first great Canadian staking rush for diamonds began, I was lured into diamond exploration and I’ve never looked back. Although difficult and challenging to find, diamonds are the ultimate reward for an explorer. RDR: Why did you select Canada to explore and not Africa? ET: I am Canadian and most of my experience as a geologist was in northern Canada. More importantly, I still believe that Canada is one of the most prospective, underexplored regions in the world for diamonds. The potential for finding new diamond deposits in Canada remains high. RDR: How hard is it really to go out in the tundra to explore for diamonds? ET: There are both physical and mental challenges to exploring in the tundra. The arctic climate can be very harsh, with only brief periods that are snow-free so you have to work very hard during the summers to get all your work done. The north is also very remote with limited infrastructure so we have to rely on helicopters and planes to move supplies and people around. This makes exploration very expensive. Also, because of the remoteness crews work in isolation up to several months. This means isolation from friends and family, which can be very challenging for some. RDR: Did you really think you would find diamonds? ET: Yes! You have to believe in the possibility or you’ll never be successful. RDR: How did you discover the mine? ET: We discovered the mine by applying good sound geological principals. We used both geochemistry and geophysics as our principal tools. RDR: How long did it take to find? ET: It took us more than two years to find it. RDR: How did you make decisions regarding whom to go into business with once you made the discovery? ET: We already had Rio Tinto, the world’s largest mining company, as our partner. They eventually developed the project and Aber retained a 40 percent working interest. RDR: What is the current production of the diamond mine and what quality stones does it produce? ET: We are estimating production of roughly 8 million carats in 2004 and the quality is very good overall. RDR: What part do you think Canada plays in the global diamond industry? ET: Canada is now ranked third in the world as a diamond producer in terms of value and I believe that we will continue to grow our market share in the future. Canada’s first two diamond mines are both world-class operations that have been developed in a socially and environmentally responsible manner that provide benefits to all Canadians. RDR: What are you doing now? ET: I am currently the president and chief executive officer of Stornoway Diamond Corporation, one of Canada’s premier diamond exploration companies. We have the largest land position for diamonds of any publicly traded company — just over 23 million acres — and we have had early success in finding diamondiferous kimberlites in eastern Nunavut. We continue to assess the kimberlites we’ve found and search for others. RDR: Overall, what was the hardest part of getting to where you are now? ET: Diamond exploration requires a huge amount of patience, a great deal of money and a serious commitment of time. I am fortunate that I work with a first-class team of people who are as passionate about diamond exploration and as committed as I am to our goal of finding and developing a 100 percent Canadian-owned diamond mine.

To: VAUGHN who wrote (2407)	2/5/2005 10:07:06 PM
From: Letmebe Frank	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 16206

Vaughn, you don't want to miss this, do you? "One year after the infamous halftime breast-baring incident, FOX is determined to keep this year’s Super Bowl show family-friendly with singer Paul McCartney. Well I did a little investigating and it turns out this McCartney character was in a band called the Beatles and they did drugs! He’s also a strict vegetarian and that isn’t going to sit well with the folks in red states. You saw it here first; there could be another major scandal brewing." 2walls.com No urgency to get back to me. Enjoy the game tomorrow!