Rio Tinto has launched a new sales event, showcasing 48 lots of polished pink, red and yellow diamonds.
The event, dubbed the Beyond Rare tender, will also feature pink and red diamonds from the shuttered Argyle diamond mine in WA and yellow diamonds from the Diavik mine in Canada.
“The Beyond Rare tender is a new chapter for Rio Tinto’s diamonds business, and a testimony to the ongoing demand for highly collectible natural diamonds,” Rio Tinto chief executive of minerals Sinead Kaufman said.
“Rio Tinto has a rich history of innovative diamonds sales and marketing events and this carefully curated collection of rare jewels will be in strong demand by the world’s finest jewellers, collectors and diamond connoisseurs.”
The event will take inspiration from the art world and will be showcased in Australia, Switzerland and Belgium, with bids closing on November 20, 2023.
“The market fundamentals that drive value appreciation for Argyle pink and red diamonds have never been stronger – a combination of severely constrained supply, with the closure of Argyle, and unwavering global demand for truly scarce gems,” Rio Tinto diamond general manager of sales and marketing Patrick Coppens said.
“The inclusion in the inaugural Beyond Rare tender of two fancy intense yellow diamonds from Rio Tinto’s Diavik diamond mine, located beneath a frozen lake in the Barren Lands of northern Canada, is a beautiful counterpoint to the pink and red Argyle diamonds from the remote East Kimberley region of Western Australia.
“Yellow diamonds make up less than one percent of Diavik’s production, a rarity in a diamond mine otherwise known for its highly coveted white diamond production.”