The alluvial diamond deposit in the Kimberley Region of Western
Australia which became to be known as the Bow River Diamond Mine
was discovered in 1982 by joint venture partners Freeport of Australia Inc
and Gem Exploration and Minerals Ltd. Mining commenced in 1987. This paper describes the exploration programs and results from
discovery to commencement of mining and reviews the public reporting
of this process in the light of 1992 Ore Reserves Code (JORC, 1992). This case study illustrates the difficulties involved in resource
estimation of alluvial diamond deposits. The study also shows that
current reporting standards were, to a large extent, adhered to a full ten
years before the diamond reporting section to the Code was formulated.