09:13 AM EDT, 05/27/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Star Diamond ( SHGDF ) , at 52-week lows, provided Monday a review of the work completed by Rio Tinto Exploration Canada Inc. on two fronts at the Fort a la Corne Project, from June 2017 until June 2022.

According to a statement, Rio Tinto's work included the completion and calibration of a trench cutter bulk sampling and macrodiamond recovery program on Star Kimberlite, with plans to expand this program to the Orion South Kimberlite. Also, a separate team of Rio Tinto geologists carried out the Orbit exploration program to prioritize the diamond prospectivity of all the other kimberlites that make up the project.

Rio Tinto, the statement said, also conducted detailed mining studies for the future development of diamond mines on the Star, Orion South, and Orion North Kimberlites. "Many of the conclusions of these mining studies confirm work previously completed by Star Diamond ( SHGDF )," the statement added.

Monday's statement said studies suggested the continuous and sequential mining of diamonds from Orion South, Star, and Orion North over 70 years; and the ability to maintain stable pit slopes in the Fort a la Corne Kimberlites by using wall buttressing and dewatering.

Also, the currently available size frequency distribution for the EJF kimberlite within the Star Kimberlite suggested that a 222,000 tonne sample of the EJF is likely to yield 101 Specials and one Exceptional diamond; and Rio Tinto confirmed that the TC Early Joli Fou diamond parcel contained a "significant proportion" of Type IIa diamonds.

Among other highlights, the TC Early Joli Fou diamond parcel has shown improved diamond grade over the Large Diameter Drill program and the TC grade is close to that for the Underground, the company noted.

"RTEC's successful development and execution of the TC sampling program and diamond recovery in the modern Consulmet BSP, generated a diamond parcel that can be integrated with diamond parcels from previous underground bulk sampling and LDD programs," George Read, senior vice president of corporate development at Star Diamond ( SHGDF ), said. "The TC diamond parcel will improve the overall diamond grade and SFD used by Star Diamond ( SHGDF ) to estimate the revised Mineral Resource."