TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Canada's Dominion Diamond Corp on Tuesday announced plans to launch a revitalised CanadaMark diamond hallmark programme during the upcoming 2014 JCK Las Vegas Show.

Through an independently audited process, the CanadaMark diamond hallmark programme provides assurance that a polished diamond is of Canadian origin, cut from rough that was responsibly mined in the Northwest Territories, natural and untreated, tracked at every stage from country of origin to polished stone, and polished to strict quality standards.

Every CanadaMark diamond is laser inscribed with the CanadaMark logo, a unique serial number and is accompanied by a CanadaMark diamond certificate card. The unique serial number can be verified on the CanadaMark website.

Dominion announced that it had approved an action plan to significantly raise the CanadaMark programme profile, through participating in the upcoming JCK Las Vegas Show, and would increase marketing activity to the diamond trade over the next two years.

An online business-to-business trading platform is also being developed to allow diamond jewellery wholesalers and retailers to easily source CanadaMark polished diamonds held by approved manufacturers.

Dominion Diamond owns the CanadaMark programme, which is available to any Canadian diamond producer that meets the necessary criteria.

“The CanadaMark programme provides assurance that a CanadaMark diamond was mined in Canada and in a responsible manner. The CanadaMark programme represents the company’s commitment to category marketing of Canadian diamonds. Through this programme, the company aims to highlight the long-term environmental stewardship and social responsibility of the Canadian diamond mining industry, which ultimately will help achieve the highest prices for the company’s diamond production,” Dominion chairperson and CEO Robert Gannicott said in a statement.

“Our research shows Canada ranks at the top of consumer choices in terms of the origin and integrity of a diamond. Our initial discussions with major jewellery retailers have convinced us that this is exactly the right time to be revitalising the CanadaMark programme.

“They have clearly indicated that the opportunity to sell jewellery containing Canadian diamonds of assured integrity is something their customers would value,” Dominion Diamond Marketing Corporation president Jim Pounds said.