Rio Tinto's pink diamonds sell for record prices of over US$2m each
The 2013 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender of 64 red, pink and blue stones drew a record number of bids over US$1 million from established markets Japan and Australia as well as emerging markets China and India.
The annual sale of Rio Tinto's rare pink-hued diamonds attracted unprecedented interest, with at least two of the stones fetching record prices of over US$2 million, the mining giant said.
The highlight was the Argyle Phoenix, a 1.56 carat gem and one of three Fancy Red diamonds on offer, which sold for more than US$2 million to a Singapore-based jeweller. It was the highest per-carat price paid for any diamond produced at Rio's Argyle mine in Western Australia. The exact price was not disclosed.
Another record was set for the Argyle Dauphine, a 2.51 carat Fancy Deep Pink diamond, which was sold to as US-based dealer also for more than US$2 million. Rio's Pink Diamonds manager Josephine Johnson said the prices reflected "increasing demand from the world's top jewellers, designers, collectors and connoisseurs".
She added: "There was a lot of interest from our established markets such as Australia, the United States, Japan and Europe, but also from China and India, where there is now very strong demand."
A pink diamond is usually worth about 50 times more than a white diamond, although a 118.28-carat white diamond broke a world record earlier this month when it fetched more than US$30 million at an auction in Hong Kong.
