Giant Ruby Discovery in Greenland: Aappaluttoq Emerges as a Monumental Find
The Aappaluttoq Ruby Mine, located in southwest Greenland, was a significant commercial mining project that began operations at the turn of the 21st century. The mine, which ceased production recently, was primarily operated by True North Gems Greenland A/S, a subsidiary of True North Gems Inc.
The mine's unique location in a remote Arctic environment set it apart from traditional ruby sources, reducing potential mining conflicts. True North Gems had worked with various financing groups and creditors, demonstrating an effort towards responsible operational and financial management. However, the company ultimately faced financial difficulties and entered voluntary bankruptcy proceedings in 2016.
The Aappaluttoq deposit was considered one of the few commercial sources of rubies in the Western world, making its rubies particularly valuable for collectors and ethical jewelers interested in provenance. The processing of these Greenland rubies involved careful extraction and sorting of the rough stones due to their high quality and unique hues.
The mine's closure has limited ongoing ethical sourcing from this location, and detailed information about downstream gemstone processing—such as cutting, polishing, or certification—is currently scarce.
The Aappaluttoq mine represents an important chapter in the ethical supply of coloured gemstones, offering Greenland rubies with transparent provenance while highlighting the challenges of sustaining such operations in remote locations.
In a positive development, a new company, Greenland Ruby, is positioning itself to become one of the market's most important suppliers of coloured gemstones, specifically rubies and pink sapphires. The mine site will operate year-round and is staffed by Greenlanders flown to the camp for 2-3 week shifts.
Photos in this article are credited to Deborah Craig FGA DGA, unless otherwise stated.
Interestingly, the Aappaluttoq gemstones, known as "Big Red" by Greenlanders, are not the only valuable stones found in the area. Tugtupite in matrix, for instance, becomes redder in sunlight, and Nuummite, only found near Nuuk, is a black opaque gemstone that exhibits iridescent flashes of color due to its lamellar, fibrous structure.
The Ministry of Mineral Resources in Greenland supports small-scale miners extracting Greenlandite with workshops on mining best practices, gemstone pricing, and lapidary. They also maintain an ongoing gemstone mapping project, compiling data from historical reports and noting when geologists and small-scale miners make interesting discoveries in the field.
Greenland Ruby is considering strategic partnerships with select jewellery houses for marketing campaigns, which could further boost the visibility of these unique and ethically sourced gemstones. The opportunity for Greenland and Greenland Ruby to develop an origin certification scheme, as was successful with Canadian diamonds, could also enhance the market's confidence in the provenance of these precious stones.
- Greenland Ruby, a new company, aims to become one of the key suppliers of coloured gemstones, such as rubies and pink sapphires, operating year-round at the former Aappaluttoq Mine site.
- The unique Greenland gemstones, including "Big Red" and Tugtupite in matrix, found in the Aappaluttoq area, are highly valued, with Tugtupite becoming redder in sunlight and Nuummite, a black opaque gemstone, exhibiting iridescent flashes of color.
- The Ministry of Mineral Resources in Greenland supports small-scale miners by offering workshops on mining best practices, gemstone pricing, and lapidary, and maintaining an ongoing gemstone mapping project.
- Greenland Ruby could potentially collaborate with select jewellery houses for marketing campaigns and develop an origin certification scheme, similar to Canadian diamonds, to boost the visibility and market confidence in their ethically sourced gemstones.
