Even though the COVID-19 pandemic certainly hit the community hard, the NWT Diamond Centre now wants to spread a little love to our brilliant and resilient community.
In just six months’ time, our lives have been greatly changed and our community’s businesses have been impacted in many ways. There has been a lot of uncertainty, but the one thing that’s certain is Yellowknife’s unwavering commitment to the community.
“Without the constant buzz of tourists in town, businesses like ours have had to really rely on our own community here in Yellowknife and it’s been amazing to see how the community has come together in these difficult times,” said NWT Diamond Centre director Patricia Caffet.
At the NWT Diamond Centre, there would usually be busloads of tourists coming in on a regular basis to purchase Canadian diamonds and jewellery, and to learn about diamond mining in the Canadian North. But with the closure of the border and the restrictions put in place, the jewellery store has seen a loss of greater than 90%.
“It’s definitely been an extremely challenging time for us,” Caffet said. “We’re having to switch gears in terms of how we run this store and really focus in on the community right here in Yellowknife.”
And seeing Yellowknife residents support each other during these times has inspired the NWT Diamond Centre to put together the 12 Weeks to Christmas Diamond Hunt as a way to thank the community and lift its spirits in the lead-up to the holiday season.
Starting on Friday, October 9, the NWT Diamond Centre will be giving away a piece of diamond jewellery each week until Christmas! Each Friday during the run of the 12 Weeks to Christmas Diamond Hunt and on Wednesday, December 23, a diamond-shaped card will be hidden somewhere around Yellowknife. If you find this card, you’ll need to bring it back to the NWT Diamond Centre to claim your prize.
And how does one find one of the twelve diamond-shaped cards? Clues! The NWT Diamond Centre will be sharing clues each Friday to help you with your diamond hunt. Every Friday, there will be a clue in the Yellowknifer, a clue on the NWT Diamond Centre’s Facebook page and Instagram, and a clue will be announced on the air in the morning if you’re tuned into Moose FM.
Use the clues together to find the location of a hidden diamond-shaped card and try your luck!
Just a few of the 12 prizes that are up for grabs
The twelve weekly diamond jewellery prizes are made up of a selection of brilliant pieces from Canadian Rocks and Forevermark — all ranging in value from $199 to $4,599.
“Doing this diamond hunt is a way for us to give back to the community in Yellowknife and really spread the word about our store,” said Caffet. “We’re really excited about getting everyone talking about the NWT Diamond Centre and making sure that the residents of Yellowknife know that we aren’t just a tourist centre. We sell diamonds and diamond jewellery too!”
That should be fun! Something to look forward to!
Starts Friday on my Birthday .what a birthday it would be to find one of these cards ..
I can feel everyone as excited as I am to join in .
Happy hunting everyone .best of luck to us all
Thank You NWT Diamnond for such a fun idea .
Something like this will be sooo much fun can’t wait plus looking forward to a great challenge to get to know where you have been living for the last 3 years and doing something like this makes you feel even better about being a true northern when your put to the test of the your lifetime. Ohhhhh sounds like fun where do i start looking game on of the city where we will be up against the best of the north when it comes to looking for things around the city.can’t wait