Rio Tinto Puts Rare Argyle Ring Up for Sale

Rio Tinto has unveiled a diamond ring featuring one of the last stones from the company’s famous Argyle mine, pricing it at more than $1 million.

The Argyle Rose has a radiant cut, 1.36-carat, fancy-deep-pink diamond at its center, Rio Tinto said Wednesday. Around this are 1.89 carats of pink and blue Argyle diamonds as well as 2.80 carats of white diamonds, with the design giving a rose effect.

Conceived by Western Australian jeweler Solid Gold Diamonds, the piece will be on sale for AUD 2 million ($1.3 million) through the Perth-based company. It’s wearable as a ring or a statement pendant.

The creation is part of the Argyle Pink Diamonds Icon Partner program, which aims to preserve the mine’s legacy following the end of production in November 2020.

“Encapsulating a rich history and an extraordinary provenance, it is both a contemporary treasure and an heirloom for tomorrow,” said Rio Tinto Minerals CEO Sinead Kaufman. “These rare and precious diamonds are one-and-a-half billion years old, from one of the most beautiful places on earth, and the world is simply not producing them anymore.”

Image: The Argyle Rose. (Rio Tinto)