Rio Tinto has reported a 76% year-on-year increase in diamond production at its Diavik mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories, signaling a strong rebound after a tough 2024.

According to the company’s Q2 report released on July 16, Diavik produced 1.24 million carats of rough diamonds from April to June 2025. This follows a 27% increase in Q1 production, which reached 942,000 carats, and an 18% rise in Q4 2024 with 775,000 carats.

The recovery comes after Diavik’s total 2024 output fell 17% due to a shift to underground mining at the A21 pipe and a temporary suspension following a fatal plane crash in January 2024 that claimed six lives.

So far in 2025, Diavik has delivered 2.18 million carats—34% more than the 1.44 million carats reported in the first half of 2024. This puts Rio Tinto in a strong position as Diavik nears the end of its commercial life.

About Diavik:
Located about 200 km south of the Arctic Circle, Diavik is Rio Tinto’s last diamond asset. The company took full ownership in 2021 after acquiring the remaining 40% from Dominion Diamond Mines. Diavik is expected to stop production in early 2026, marking the end of Rio Tinto’s diamond mining operations after the closure of Australia’s Argyle mine in 2020—once famous for its rare pink diamonds.