Diavik Production Increases in Final Quarter Before Closure

(IDEX Online) - Rio Tinto reported a year-on-year quarterly increase of 11% in diamond production at Diavik, as the mine halted operations in March after 23 years.

The mine, in Canada's Northwest Territories (NWT), produced 1.041 million carats during Q1 2026, Rio Tinto said in an update published on Tuesday (21 April).

Although that represents a year-on-year increase, it's down 6% on Q4 2025, signaling a wind-down in operations.

Diavik officially ended operations on 26 March, after producing over 150 million carats during its lifetime, more than either of NWT's other mines - Ekati (owned by Burgundy) and Gahcho Kue (joint venture, De Beers and Mountain Province).

Rio Tinto no longer operates as a diamond miner. Diavik was its last diamond deposit, after the closure of the Argyle mine in Australia, famed for its pink and other fancy color diamonds, in November 2020.

Overall Rio Tinto, the British-Australian multinational miner, reported a 9% year‑on‑year increase in copper‑equivalent production (a measure of production across all metals) during Q1.

Pic shows the now-closed Diavik mine.