Here Are the 6 ‘Hero’ Diamonds of the 2019 Argyle Tender

Sydney—Rio Tinto has debuted the diamonds in this year’s Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender, its annual sale of the best pink, red and violet stones to emerge from its mine in Western Australia.

The collection, titled “The Quest for the Absolute,” features 64 diamonds, weighing 56.28 total carats, and includes three fancy reds.  

The tender is slightly larger than last year’s offering, which had 63 diamonds totaling 51.48 carats.

The 2019 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender comprises six “hero” diamonds—those of relatively large size and exceptional color, and the only tender diamonds to get a name.

They are as follows.
—Argyle Enigma, a 1.75-carat modified radiant fancy red diamond;
—Argyle Amari, a 1.48-carat heart-shaped fancy vivid purplish-pink diamond;
—Argyle Elysian, a 1.20-carat modified cushion-shaped fancy vivid pink diamond;
—Argyle Verity, a 1.37-carat oval-shaped fancy vivid purplish-pink diamond;
—Argyle Opus, a 2.01-carat round fancy intense pink diamond; and
—Argyle Avenoir, a 1.07-carat oval-shaped fancy red diamond. 

Each is shown below.

The diamond mining company premiered the collection in Sydney last week and will showcase it in Perth, Australia; Hong Kong; and New York over the coming months.

Bids close Oct. 9.

The tender comes a year before the Argyle mine is slated to close, news which continues to cause the price of red and pink diamonds to rise.

“With the lifecycle of this extraordinary mine approaching its end, we have seen, and continue to see, unstoppable demand for these truly limited-edition diamonds and strong value appreciation,” Rio Tinto Copper and Diamonds CEO Arnaud Soirat said in a press release.

After last year’s Argyle tender, the company reported that the 2018 sale had set numerous records, including tender total and prices per carat.