VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(CCNMatthews - Feb. 9, 2006) - True North Gems (TSX VENTURE:TGX) is pleased to announce that gemological grading of its 12 kg of emerald concentrate has returned 59.6% combined gem and near-gem grade emerald rough. The emerald rough was recovered from the trenching, mini-bulk sampling and processing segment of its $1.6 million exploration program at the Company's Tsa da Glisza emerald property in the Finlayson district, Yukon Territory, Canada (see press release of December 12, 2005).
The 2005 exploration program was focused on target areas identified during 2004 drilling and trenching of the multiple veins of the Summit Zone and Far West Zone on Regal Ridge. The emeralds were recovered directly from eighteen 2005 trench faces, a standard operating practice in the emerald mining industry, and from processing of the associated mini-bulk samples in the on-site plant. The sixty-two samples processed to completion in 2005 included the remainder of the 2003 underground exploration samples from the Southwest Vein and several trench mini-bulk samples, six mini-bulk samples from the 2004 trenching program, ten mini-bulk samples collected during the 2005 field season and a small amount of archived 2002 sample material.
The 12 kg of clean emerald rough, including more than 7 kg of gem and near-gem grade material, was recovered from 254 kg of hand-picked mineralized material. The distribution of the gem grade, near-gem grade and non-gem grade emerald rough recovered during the 2005 season are tabulated below. As per standard gemstone protocols, all weights for the rough are in grams (1 g equals 5 carats).
----------------------------------------------------- Sample Year Gem (g) Near-Gem (g) Non-Gem (g) ----------------------------------------------------- 2005 675.68 5,235.24 2,318.06 2004 42.55 566.95 1,365.94 2003 18.54 545.90 964.36 2002 0.0 0.0 82.47 Total 736.77 6,348.09 3,648.29 Weight % 6.20 53.41 40.39 -----------------------------------------------------
A total of 4,044.67 grams of gem and near-gem rough was sent in separate parcels for cutting in October and November 2005. The cutting and in-house gemological grading of the faceted goods is nearing completion and results will be reported shortly.
The remaining 3,040.06 grams of gem and near-gem rough has been shipped overseas for cutting and the results are expected by the 2nd quarter of 2006. A compilation of the gem and near-gem emerald distribution by grade, size, cut, carat weight and cutting yield will be provided shortly thereafter.
The comparison of 2005 emerald rough distribution to previous years' sample results is shown below.
----------------------------------------------------- Year Gem (wt%) Near-Gem (wt%) Non-Gem (wt%) ----------------------------------------------------- 2005 6.20 53.41 40.39 2004 3.9 34.7 61.4 2003 4.1 40.6 55.3 -----------------------------------------------------
"We are very pleased that the final grading of the 2005 emerald rough has shown an improvement to both gem and near-gem grade distribution as compared to the 2003 and 2004 results," said Greg Davison, Vice President Exploration and Tsa da Glisza Project Manager. "The thorough sample preparation and examination by our company gemologists has contributed to a clean, high quality rough product ready for cutting and polishing. Preliminary data analysis of the faceted goods also indicates that improved cutting yields have been achieved."
The planning and execution of the emerald exploration, security protocols and quality control programs at Tsa da Glizsa are under the supervision of Greg Davison, P.Geo., who is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
True North Gems is a public company listed on the TSX Venture exchange and is engaged in the exploration and development of coloured gemstone deposits in North America and Greenland.
The Company relies on litigation protection for "forward-looking" statements.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
True North Gems Inc.
Greg Davison, P. Geo.
Vice President Exploration
(604) 687-8055 or 1-800-399-8055
greg@truenorthgems.com
www.truenorthgems.com
