VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(CCNMatthews - June 18, 2007) - True North Gems (TSX VENTURE:TGX) is pleased to announce the commencement of its 2007 ruby exploration program at the Company's 110 km2 Fiskenaesset ruby property located on the southwest coast of Greenland.
Logistics personnel have arrived on site to prepare the camp, office and plant facilities. The 20 person camp was delivered to the village of Fiskenaesset and construction on Lake Tassiusa is underway by helicopter and sea-going vessel. Equipment for the process plant was delivered to Fiskenaesset with two further shipments by sea container enroute from Canada and UK. The diamond drill was flown to Nuuk from the Company's Beluga sapphire project, Baffin Island, Canada and delivery by helicopter to the project site is expected shortly.
The overall 2007 program objective is to deliver a Preliminary Assessment on the Aappaluttoq Ruby Project and pink sapphire occurrence, the most promising occurrence identified to date from the Company's Greenland property. The work program will consist of 5,000 metres of diamond drilling and the extraction of approximately 100 tonnes of bulk assay samples of ruby and pink sapphire mineralization.
The majority of the drilling program will include detailed drilling of the Aappaluttoq occurrence to evaluate the subsurface geology and the grade, quality and continuity of gemstone distribution. Additional exploration drilling will be conducted on other ruby targets identified along strike on the Ruby Island Line. Drill core will be logged on site and selected intervals will be processed in Fiskenaesset to extract rubies and pink sapphire clean rough. The exploratory drilling will be guided by mapping, prospecting, and advance surface channel sampling expedited by on-site processing and gemological analysis in Fiskenaesset.
Bulk assay sampling to test Aappaluttoq and several other occurrences will comprise an integral component of the 2007 exploration program. The extraction and processing totaling 100 tonnes, including 50 tonnes from the Aappaluttoq main site, up to 20 tonnes in aggregate from the sampling pits located above each of the drill sections and 10-3 tonne samples collected from new exploration sites will be completed. The 2006 Kigutilik 30 tonne sample and the remainder of the 2006 Aappaluttoq coarse jig tailings will be processed to completion.
In addition, True North will complete major equipment upgrades at the Company's Fiskenaesset-based processing plant for the preparation of sized gravity concentrates. The re-design and increased capacity of the test plant will permit enhanced processing in terms of time, process optimization and sample handling protocols. Concentrates will be shipped to Canada for optical sorting and further processing.
The collection of data will focus on specific criteria required for a resource calculation on the Aappaluttoq occurrence. Wardrop Engineering, a internationally recognized engineering firm will act as independent consultants to provide site due diligence, project oversight and quality assurance, and to prepare a 43-101 compliant Preliminary Assessment by Q2 2008.
The planning and execution of the exploration, mineral processing and quality control programs at the 2007 Greenland ruby project are under the supervision of Greg Davison, True North Gems' VP Exploration. Mr. Davison is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
Additional information on Greenland rubies, technical reports and other public documents are available at www.sedar.com or, at the company's website, www.truenorthgems.com.
True North Gems Inc. is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TGX-V) and is engaged in the exploration and development of North American and Greenland coloured gemstone projects. The Company is a pioneer in coloured gemstone exploration and has the rights to earn 100% interest in the Fiskenaesset ruby and pink sapphire property in Greenland, and holds 100% interest in the Yukon-based Tsa da Glisza emerald property and the Beluga sapphire property located on Baffin Island.
The Company relies on litigation protection for "forward-looking" statements.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
True North Gems Inc.
Andrew Lee Smith
Chairman and CEO
(604) 687-8055 or 1-800-399-8055
True North Gems Inc.
Ken Shortt
Investor Relations
(604) 687-8055 or 1-800-399-8055
Email: ken@truenorthgems.com
Website: www.truenorthgems.com
