Rio Tinto Offers Fancy-Colored Diamonds in Final Argyle Tender

Rio Tinto will hold its final Beyond Rare Tender, featuring 52 lots of polished fancy-color diamonds.

The miner will offer a collection totaling 45.44 carats of diamonds, called Into the Light, including its legacy inventory of pink, violet and red stones from the shuttered Argyle mine in Australia as well as a number from its Diavik deposit in Canada, which is set to close in 2026, it said last week. Among the stones are six “Masterpieces” — diamond sets carefully selected to showcase the pinnacle of production from the two mines and pay homage to their life, the company explained. The tender will also include 39 single diamonds and an additional seven curated sets.

Rio Tinto has selected pink, red and violet diamonds from the final legacy inventory at Argyle, marking them as some of the last of their kind in the world. One fancy-red diamond will take center stage, along with 12 fancy-violet stones and 76 fancy-pink, fancy purple-pink and fancy purplish-pink diamonds. Additionally, Rio Tinto will showcase two D-flawless polished white diamonds originating from the same rough found at Diavik: an emerald-cut, 5.11-carat, and a pear-shaped 3.02-carat stone. Meanwhile, a 6.12-carat, fancy-vivid-yellow diamond from the Canadian mine will also feature in the sale.

“It is hard to overstate the importance of this final collection,” said Patrick Coppens, general manager of sales and marketing for Rio Tinto’s diamond business. “No other mining company in the world has custody of such an exquisite collection of diamond colors, shapes and sizes.”

The company will exhibit the lots in Hong Kong, Australia and Antwerp, with bids closing on October 20.

Image: Some of the diamonds that will be featured in the Beyond Rare tender. (Rio Tinto)