21 April 2015
North Arrow Minerals Inc. (TSXV-NAR) is pleased to report that yellow diamonds from the Q1-4 kimberlite contain un-aggregated nitrogen, a defining characteristic of rare, natural Type Ib diamonds with fancy "Canary Yellow" colours. Type Ib diamonds are exceptionally rare, estimated to make up less than 0.1% of natural diamonds globally. The Q1-4 kimberlite is located within the Qilalugaq Diamond Project, just nine kilometres from the Hamlet of Naujaat (Repulse Bay), Nunavut.
The results reported in this news release are based on FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) analyses of 41 representative yellow diamonds from the Q1-4 kimberlite. The diamonds studied by this non-destructive technique range in colour from very pale yellow through intense yellow and all but one of the diamonds were determined to contain un-aggregated nitrogen, characteristic of "Type Ib" diamonds. Un-aggregated nitrogen occurs as single, randomly distributed nitrogen atoms and strongly absorbs blue and violet light. As a result of this strong absorption, even relatively minor amounts of un-aggregated nitrogen can lead to intense yellow colours commonly referred to as "Canary Yellow" in the gem trade. The study was conducted by Apex Geoscience Ltd. at the University of Alberta's Diamond Research Laboratory.