Rio Tinto Unveils Collection of Rare Argyle Pinks

RAPAPORT... Rio Tinto has launched a collection of rare pinkdiamonds from its Argyle mine, which has been specially curated to showcase thefull color palette of the deposit's stones. The Argyle Pink Everlastings collection contains 64 lots andhas a total weight of 211.21 carats, with each individual stone weighing 0.14carats or below, Rio Tinto said Monday. The miner will provide a certificate ofauthenticity for each lot purchased, it noted. Rio Tinto will only produce approximately 100 more carats of similar diamonds before the Western Australia mine closesin 2020, it explained, in an effort to emphasize the rarity of the stones.  "The accumulation of these diamonds from a certifiablesource in various shapes, sizes and colors is the result of a painstakingendeavor, unlikely to be ever repeated," said Alan Chirgwin, vice president ofsales and marketing at Rio Tinto. The miner will auction the collection alongside the stonesit offers in its annual Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender, which will be held inSingapore, London, New York and Perth, Australia, with bids closing on October9. Image: The Argyle Pink Everlastings Collection. (Rio Tinto)