Rare Argyle diamonds attract record bids
Kimberley miner Rio Tinto has released the results from its annual Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender, with some of the most valuable diamonds ever put forward by the mine breaking two records.
Known as the "red edition", with the inclusion of three fancy red diamonds, the collection showcased a total of 64 pink, red and blue diamonds, ranging in size from 0.20 to 3.02 carats.
One of the records broken involved the 1.56 carat fancy red diamond Argyle Phoenix, which achieved the highest per carat price for a diamond ever produced from the Argyle mine.
The other saw Argyle Dauphine, a 2.51 carat Fancy Deep Pink diamond, bring the highest price paid for an Argyle diamond in overall value terms, which was also a world record for a Fancy Deep Pink diamond.
All 64 diamonds in the 2013 tender were sold, many well above pre-tender estimates, reflecting increasing demand from the world's top jewellers, designers, collectors and connoisseurs.
There were a record number of bids over US$1 million, with one breaking through the US$2 million ceiling.
