Rio Tinto’s final rare Argyle™ blue diamonds sold in a record breaking global bid
28 October 2021 - 08:30AM
Business Wire
Rio Tinto’s entire 2021 Once in a Blue Moon Tender collection of
41 lots of carefully curated Argyle blue and violet diamonds, has
been won by a single bidder, the Hong Kong fancy coloured diamond
specialist, Kunming Diamonds.
Kunming Diamonds’ history making global bid for the 24.88 carats
of final “beyond rare” blue jewels from the East Kimberley region
of Western Australia is a significant moment in the history of the
Argyle mine and the coloured diamond industry.
Harsh Maheshwari, Executive Director of Kunming Diamonds said
"We are delighted to be part of Argyle's legacy in this historical
moment, acquiring the Once in a Blue Moon collection. We cherish
becoming the custodians of the final Australian treasures from this
iconic and industry-defining mine, and look forward to unearthing
the incredible possibilities in the years to come."
The Argyle mine sporadically produced small blue and violet
diamonds in a beautiful array of shades and with the closure of
Argyle it is extremely unlikely that there will ever be another
collective offering of iconic gems in this colour spectrum from a
single mine.
Sinead Kaufman, Chief Executive of Rio Tinto Minerals said ”The
rarity and beauty of the Once in a Blue Moon diamonds speaks
volumes. They are highly coveted, the ultimate limited edition and
we congratulate Kunming Diamonds on their global bid.”
Over the past decade Kunming Diamonds has worked closely with
Argyle, becoming an Authorised Partner™ for Argyle Pink Diamonds™
and growing its global expertise in certified fancy coloured
diamonds.
Almost the entire world’s supply of rare pink, red, blue and
violet diamonds come from Rio Tinto’s Argyle Diamond Mine which
ceased production on 3 November, 2020. With 37 years of Argyle pink
diamond production in global markets Rio Tinto has made the
decision to maintain and manage the Argyle Pink Diamonds™ brand
through secondary market platforms, certification processes and
creative collaborations with our trusted partners.
In addition to owning the Argyle Pink Diamonds™ brand Rio Tinto
is the majority owner and operator of the Diavik diamond mine in
the Northwest Territories of Canada and has signed an exploration
joint venture agreement with Endiama, the national diamond mining
company of Angola, to evaluate the Chiri kimberlite in the Lunda
Sul Province of Angola.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211027005495/en/
Please direct all enquiries to
media.enquiries@riotinto.com
Communications Manager, Rio Tinto Diamonds Robyn
Ellison M + 61 417 968 359 E robyn.ellison@riotinto.com
Media Relations, UK Illtud Harri M +44 7920 503
600
David Outhwaite M +44 7787 597 493
Media Relations, Americas Matthew Klar T +1 514
608 4429
Media Relations, Australia Jonathan Rose M +61 447
028 913
Matt Chambers M +61 433 525 739
Jesse Riseborough M +61 436 653 412
Rio Tinto plc 6 St James’s Square London SW1Y 4AD United
Kingdom T +44 20 7781 2000 Registered in England No. 719885
Rio Tinto Limited Level 7, 360 Collins Street Melbourne
3000 Australia T +61 3 9283 3333 Registered in Australia ABN 96 004
458 404
riotinto.com
Category: Argyle
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