Rio Tinto 2015 Diamond Tender

Argyle Spectre™ — A 1.93-carat fancy vivid purplish pink shield-shaped diamond.

Ultra-Rare Fancy Red Diamonds were among Five ‘Hero’ Diamonds Unveiled by Rio Tinto at the 2015 Tender. The 2015 Tender, known as the “Connoisseur’s Collection,” comprised 65 diamonds weighing a total of 44.14 carats. The diamonds come from Rio Tinto’s Argyle Mine in Western Australia, and represent the company’s absolute best red and pink gems from its yearly production.

Argyle Prima™ — A 1.20-carat fancy red pear-shaped diamond.

The finest quality fancy red diamonds can easily sell for $1 million or more per carat. “This collection is one of the most beautiful in the history of the Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender,” said Rio Tinto Diamonds & Minerals chief executive Alan Davies. “This year’s Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender is testament to this extraordinary mine that continues to produce the world’s most-sought-after gems.”

Argyle Aurora™ — 1.47-carat fancy red oval-shaped diamond

Argyle Allegro™ — 0.79-carat fancy red radiant-shaped diamond

Launched in Sydney, the 2015 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender moved on to Perth, Hong Kong and New York, with bids closing in October. The Argyle Prima is the largest Fancy Red diamond of SI1 clarity seen in the tender’s 31 years, and the Argyle Aurora is the second largest Fancy Red diamond ever offered in tender history.

Argyle Élevé™ — 1.44-carat fancy intense pink emerald-shaped diamond

Sugilite

It is opaque with a waxy luster and ranges from a pale grayish lavender to a deep dark purple.

Sugilite is a relatively rare cyclosilicate mineral with the complex chemical formula KNa2(Fe,Mn,Al)2Li3Si12O30. Sugilite was discovered in 1944 and is found in Japan, Canada and India. The most important occurrence was found in 1975 in the Kalahari Desert, northern South Africa. In 1979 a large deposit of gem grade sugilite was found 3200 feet below the original discovery. Sugilite is named for the Japanese geologist who discovered the first specimens.

Sugilite is also known under the trade names of "Royal Lavulite" and "Royal Azel" Sugilite crystallizes in the hexagonal system with prismatic crystals. It often contains black matrix wih reddish brown or yellowish blotches and ranges between 6 - 7.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness. Bright purple stones with little matrixing or blotches are the most valued. Gem grade sugilite is beautifully translucent and often brings a high price.

Boghossian Amazing Jewels

It takes bravery to set gemstones within other gemstones. The slightest misstep can crack the gems. Boghossian believes the risk is worth taking to create jewelry that present the illusion of a gemstone floating within another gem. Setting stones within other stones is not new, but the Geneva-based jewelry house has refined an old-world method into an art form.

Known as the brand’s Kissing Diamonds technique, the method was pioneered by CEO Albert Boghossian.

Pink Topaz

Blue topaz, the cheap gem that owes its color to irradiation, took the jewelry world by storm in the 1980s.

The trade expected pink topaz could be just as inexpensive. It's one thing to coax deep-blue from cheap colorless topaz but another to coax deep-pink from uncommon precious topaz. Topaz transformable into pink stones costs a lot more than topaz transformable into blue ones. The reason it costs more is limited supply. Not just any precious topaz, but precious topaz with an essential coloring agent: chromium, the same trace element responsible for red in ruby.

Topaz that can be turned pink seems only to come from Brazil, much of it from one mining locality: Oro Preto.

Pink topaz is often cut to maximize rough yield, making calibrated gems suitable for jewelry exceedingly rare. Pink topaz looks good in low-light conditions due to its transparency and high refraction. With a Mohs’ hardness of 8, pink topaz is a good choice for everyday jewelry.

Blue Twins lead Christie’s spring sale

Christie’s spring sale of magnificent jewels will offer a variety of diamonds and gemstones, along with important signed pieces by Bulgari, Cartier, Harry Winston, Tiffany & Co., and Van Cleef & Arpels. Highlight of the sale is a rare twin-stone fancy vivid blue diamond ring. The ring, with stones weighing 3.06 carats and 2.61 carats, is expected to sell for between US$6m and $8m. The sale also features three other D color diamonds of over 15 carats, including a Marquise-cut diamond ring weighing 16.69 carats.

13 carat Fancy Yellow, VVS2

2017 Rio Tinto Pink Diamond Tender

The 2.11-carat radiant-cut fancy red Argyle Everglow

Rio Tinto’s Argyle Mine Tender for 2017 appeared in New York in front of a selected group of collectors and connoisseurs. The star was the Argyle Everglow, a 2.11 carat polished radiant cut GIA diamond with a grade of Fancy Red VS2. It is the biggest Fancy Red diamond to ever come from Argyle. In the 33-year history of the Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender there have been less than 20 carats of Fancy Red certified diamonds sold. In total, there ware 58 diamonds in the 2017 Tender weighing a total of 49.39 carats. Among them, there were four Fancy Red diamonds, four Purplish Red diamonds, two Violet diamonds, and one Blue diamond. The rest are pink. The 2017 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender closed on 11 October 2017. Other “hero” stones in 2017 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender; --The Argyle Isla, a 1.14-carat fancy red radiant; --The Argyle Avaline, a 2.42-carat fancy purple-pink cushion; --The Argyle Kalina, a 1.50-carat fancy deep pink oval; and --The Argyle Liberté, a 0.91-carat fancy deep gray-violet radiant-cut diamond.

The Argyle Liberté, a 0.91-carat radiant-shaped fancy deep gray-violet diamond

Radiant-cut fancy red diamond, the 1.14-carat Argyle Isla

Argyle Avaline, a 2.42-carat cushion fancy purple-pink

1.50-carat oval-shaped fancy deep pink diamond, the Argyle Kalina

“Argyle Allegro Red Roses” earrings from the Nicholas Sparks Collection are 1.37 carats each, and the pair together contain nearly 10 carats of red diamonds with pink melee, all set in platinum.

The 2.83-carat Argyle Violet diamond purchased from last year’s tender

Biennale des Antiquaires - High Jewel Olympics

18-carat white-gold ring with a cushion-shaped purplish-pink diamond.

The Biennale des Antiquaires is Paris’s prestigious art, antiques and jewellery fair. It has been a must-attend event for more than half a century and is quintessentially representative of the French 'art de vivre'. The Biennale Paris has become an annual event, held in September.

Louis Vuitton high jewellery ring featuring a centrally set African ruby, flanked by diamonds.

Cartier Luxuriant bracelet in platinum with 8.02ct opal

Bvlgari

Wallace Chan

De Grisogono

Nirav Modi

De Grisogono