Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Red Diamonds - Rio Tinto Tender

Pure red diamonds devoid of secondary hues are the rarest in the world. The Argyle Diamond Mine is the only known significant source of pink and red diamonds, producing 95% of the world's supply. In the last 30 years of mining, Argyle has found a total of thirteen red diamonds.

Red diamonds are so rare there is little gemological information about them.
Crystal lattice defects showing stress lamination during the diamond's formation is the cause of the red color.
Red diamonds rose to prominence in April 1987 during a Christie’s auction where a 0.95 carat round brilliant cut Fancy Purplish Red diamond made a record-breaking $927,000 per carat.

In 1998, the New-York based William Goldberg Co. cut and sold the largest fancy red diamond known, a 5.11 carat shield-shaped Fancy Red diamond, the Moussaieff Red. It is one of the key attractions of the Smithsonian and is the world's largest known red diamond.
The Kazanjian Red Diamond is one of the three known red diamonds weighing more than 5 carats. The gem was discovered in the 1920s in Litchenburg, South Africa.

It was 35 carats uncut. A diamond broker paid eight pounds per carat for it.
The Rob Red Diamond is modest in size at 0.59 carats but it still holds a special place in the diamond world. The Rob Red is rated as the most intense red diamond ever discovered. The diamond is rated fancy purplish red by the GIA and is considered the most important red diamond in the world.

The De Young Red is 5.03 carats and graded as Fancy Brownish Red. It was found in South Africa in 1927. The stone was once mistakenly sold as a red garnet that was set in a hat pin.

A 3.15-carat fancy reddish-orange diamond sold for $2.09 million, or $666,200 per carat in 2012.

The Graff Purplish-red diamond, is a 2.26-carat, modified octagonal-cut, fancy purplish-red, SI2 clarity diamond. It sold for $ 2,646,000 in 2008.

A 1.92-carat, rectangular-cut, fancy red diamond sold for $ 3,252,675 in 2013. That price set a new price-per-carat auction record of $ 1,694,101
A heart-shape fancy red diamond ring by Moussaieff set a world auction record at Christie’s Hong Kong on November 25, 2014.

The 2.09 carat ring sold for $5,095,872, setting a new record of $2.44 million per carat.
The Supreme Purple Star. There is very little known about this diamond. The uniquely coloured stone came to the world’s attention when it surfaced in London in 2002. When the owner took it to an appraiser in London, he was not aware of its rarity. The colour of the diamond changes as it is rotated. It goes from a deep purple to a vivid purplish red making it a diamond unlike any seen before.

It is unknown what has become of the diamond.

Argyle Spectre™ — A 1.93-carat fancy vivid purplish pink shield-shaped diamond.
Ultra-Rare Fancy Red Diamonds are among Five ‘Hero’ Diamonds Unveiled by Rio Tinto at the 2015 Tender. The 2015 Tender, known as the “Connoisseur’s Collection,” comprises 65 diamonds weighing a total of 44.14 carats.

The diamonds come from Rio Tinto’s Argyle Mine in Western Australia, and represent the company’s absolute best red and pink gems from its yearly production.


Argyle Prima™ — A 1.20-carat fancy red pear-shaped diamond.
The finest quality fancy red diamonds can easily sell for $1 million or more per carat.

“This collection is one of the most beautiful in the history of the Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender,” said Rio Tinto Diamonds & Minerals chief executive Alan Davies. “This year’s Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender is testament to this extraordinary mine that continues to produce the world’s most-sought-after gems.”

Argyle Aurora™ — A 1.47-carat fancy red oval-shaped diamond

Argyle Allegro™ — A 0.79-carat fancy red radiant-shaped diamond
Launched in Sydney, the 2015 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender went on to Perth, Hong Kong and New York.

The Argyle Prima is the largest Fancy Red diamond of SI1 clarity seen in the tender’s 31 years, and the Argyle Aurora is the second largest Fancy Red diamond ever offered in tender history.

Argyle Élevé™ — A 1.44-carat fancy intense pink emerald-shaped diamond
Rio Tinto’s 2016 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender was launched during a world exclusive preview in Copenhagen against the backdrop of a rare Argyle pink diamond jewellery exhibition. The 2016 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender includes 63 pink, red and violet diamonds and represents the finest of a year’s production from Rio Tinto’s Argyle diamond mine in Western Australia.

The Argyle Violet
The 2016 Tender is named the “Chroma Collection” and comprises 57 pink diamonds, two violet diamonds and four red diamonds and weighs a total of 58.24 carats.

The Argyle Violet, a 2.83 oval shaped violet diamond, is the dazzling centrepiece of the 2016 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender. It is the largest violet diamond ever recovered from the Argyle mine. Violet diamonds are extremely rare – with just 12 carats of polished diamonds coming from the Argyle mine over 32 years.

The rough gem originally weighed 9.17 carats and had etchings, pits and crevices. The Argyle Violet was polished down to a 2.83 carat, oval-shaped diamond.