Sourcing

Rio Tinto’s tender has record number of reds

SourcingAug 13, 2014

Rio Tinto’s tender has record number of reds

Rio Tinto has unveiled the 55 diamonds that will be featured in its annual Argyle tender, including 51 pink and purplish-red diamonds and a record four fancy red diamonds.

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A record four fancy red diamonds, which are extremely rare stones, will be included in this year’s Argyle diamond tender from Rio Tinto.

London--Rio Tinto has unveiled the 55 diamonds that will be featured in its annual Argyle tender, including 51 pink and purplish-red diamonds and a record four fancy red diamonds.

The stones included in the 2014 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender, which is in its 30th year, were unveiled recently during an exclusive preview in Sydney.

Leading the sale is a 1.21-carat radiant-cut fancy red diamond, which has been named “Argyle Cardinal,” after the small red bird.

Other diamonds headlining the sale, which also have been named after birds, include the “Argyle Rosette,” a 2.17-carat fancy intense purple-pink emerald-cut diamond, and the “Argyle Toki,” a 1.59-carat fancy intense purplish-pink emerald-cut.

Tender viewings are scheduled to take place in Sydney and Perth, Australia; New York; and Hong Kong, with bids closing on Oct. 8.

Including the four fancy red diamonds in this year’s tender, there only have been 13 fancy red diamonds included in the sale in its three-decade-long history.

“Decades ago, no one would have believed that Australia held the secret of diamonds, let alone virtually the world’s entire source of rare pink and red diamonds,” said Rio Tinto Diamonds Managing Director Jean-Marc Lieberherr. “The pinnacle of the production from Rio Tinto’s Argyle mine, the annual pink tender diamonds are now celebrated internationally as amongst the rarest and most valuable diamonds in the world. We have seen and continue to see sustained demand and price growth for Argyle pink diamonds.”

The Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender showcases and sells the rare pink diamonds from the company's Argyle mine in Western Australia.

Brecken Branstratoris the senior editor, gemstones at National Jeweler, covering sourcing, pricing and other developments in the colored stone sector.

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