Rio Tinto has revealed its 2018 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender in New York, including the Argyle Muse, the largest purplish red diamond ever offered.
The Argyle Muse, a 2.28-carat oval shaped Fancy Purplish Red gem, is one of 63 diamonds weighing a total of 51.48 carats being tendered at the event.
Argyle in Western Australia is the world’s only consistent source of rare pink, red and violet diamonds.
The 2018 tender is named Magnificent Argyle in honour of the mine’s role in charting the history of the world’s most coveted diamonds.
Rio Tinto copper and diamonds chief executive Arnaud Soirat said New York was the epicentre for rare fancy coloured diamond collectors and a key market for gems from Argyle.
“This is our 34th Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender and the potency of colours in this collection is a testament to the extraordinary Argyle ore body – rare fancy coloured diamonds, created and limited by nature.” Soirat said.
“The combination of strong demand and extremely limited world supply continues to support significant value appreciation for these stunning diamonds.”
The tender includes five Fancy Red diamonds, two Purplish Red diamonds and three Violet diamonds.
It includes six hero diamonds, which Rio Tinto selected for their unique beauty and were named to ensure a permanent record of their contribution to the history of Argyle’s diamonds.
Source: australianmining