Rio Tinto unveils rare violet diamond
03.05.16
An extremely rare diamond has been recovered by Rio Tinto from its Argyle mine in Western Australia.
The gem is a Violet diamond of 2.83 carat, polished out of a 9.17 carat rough discovered in 2015.
The Oval shape diamond is now known as The Argyle Violet.
The Argyle mine accounts for 90% of the world's rare pink diamonds, yet over the last 32 years, just 12 carats of polished violet diamonds have been produced for it's tender.
"The Argyle Violet was impossibly rare and limited by nature" - Patrick Coppens, Rio Tinto Diamonds general manager of sales.
The diamond will be the showcase of the 2016 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender, the annual showcase of the rarest diamonds from the mine. After which a private viewings of the diamond will commence in June before it travels to Copenhagen, Hong Kong and New York.
Experts predict it will sell anywhere between $2.5 - 5 million.
Photo credit, Rio Tinto
