The Legacy of Argyle Lives On in Rio Tinto’s Upcoming Showcase

Rio Tinto’s latest Beyond Rare Tender offers an extraordinary opportunity to witness some of the most breathtaking diamonds ever unearthed, showcasing nature’s most vibrant and elusive treasures. Collectors and connoisseurs have a rare opportunity to bid on these vibrant gems, featuring a stunning array of reds, pinks, violets, and intense yellows. With the closure of the Argyle Diamond Mine in 2020, which once produced 90% of the world’s pink diamonds, the rarity of these gems has increased dramatically, making this tender even more significant.

Like the inaugural Beyond Rare Tender in 2023, titled Born of this World, this upcoming showcase, Colour Awakened, blends the discoveries of two of the world’s most significant diamond-producing regions: the now-closed Argyle Mine in Western Australia and the Diavik Diamond Mine, located beneath a frozen lake in Northern Canada. This fusion of diamonds from both regions offers a mesmerizing glimpse into nature’s ability to create breathtakingly unique treasures.

Argyle Diamonds hold an almost mythic status in the world of gems. They are celebrated for their extraordinary colors, which are the result of intense geological forces. These diamonds’ hues, ranging from delicate pinks to fiery reds, are incredibly rare and defy complete scientific understanding. The conditions that gave rise to these gems are unlikely to be replicated, and discovering such stones is a near-impossible event today.

The rare yellow diamonds extracted from the Diavik Diamond Mine in Canada are equally remarkable. This mine, nestled deep in the barren lands near the Arctic, is a testament to human ingenuity and perseverance. Less than one percent of the diamonds found in Diavik exhibit the deep yellow tones prized by collectors. These natural diamonds emerge from an environment as harsh as it is awe-inspiring, making their brilliance all the more impressive.

Colour Awakened presents an extraordinary showcase of 48 lots of exceptionally rare natural diamonds. This collection is headlined by seven historic diamonds from the now-closed Argyle Diamond Mine. The seven “Old Masters” are round brilliant-cut pink and red diamonds ranging in size from 0.60 to 2.63 carats. Each was unearthed from the Argyle mine more than a decade ago, with one diamond dating back to 1987. These rare gems, carefully preserved in private vaults for years, have been hand-selected for inclusion in this tender, marking a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for collectors.

In addition to the “Old Masters,” Colour Awakened also features legacy inventory from the Argyle mine, including pink, red, and violet diamonds and a selection of rare white and yellow diamonds from Rio Tinto’s Diavik Diamond Mine in Canada. In total, the collection offers 76 diamonds weighing 39.44 carats total, divided into distinct categories:

• Seven “Old Masters,” including one Fancy Red diamond
• 32 single lots of pink and violet diamonds featuring a Fancy Purplish Red diamond
• Nine curated diamond sets, including standout stones such as a 2.47-carat Fancy Intense Yellow diamond and a 4.04-carat D-color diamond from Diavik

This highly anticipated collection will be showcased in London, Australia, Singapore, and Belgium, and bids will close on November 18, 2024.

At the launch of this invitation-only event in London, Sinead Kaufman, Chief Executive of Rio Tinto Minerals, said, “No other mining company in the world has custody of such a kaleidoscope of colored diamonds. Four years after the closure of the Argyle mine, our Beyond Rare Tender platform is a testimony to the enduring prestige of the Argyle Pink Diamonds brand, the quality of production from our Diavik mine, and the ongoing demand for highly collectible natural diamonds.”

As the diamond industry moves into a new era, the closing of Argyle represents the end of an irreplaceable chapter. We will no longer see the same influx of color diamonds that dazzled the world for decades. Events like the Beyond Rare Tender offer a fleeting chance to own a piece of that history, a gem that tells the story of beautiful geological miracles billions of years in the making.