While the Tender – which is this year named ‘The Quest for the Absolute’ – brings together the largest and most intensely coloured pink diamonds extracted from the mine, the new ‘Argyle Pink Everlastings Collection’ features diamonds of 0.14 carats or less, with colours across the pink spectrum.
The stones are divided into 64 lots, totalling 211.21 carats. Each lot carries a Certificate of Authenticity from Rio Tinto.
The Everlastings Collection will tour Perth, Singapore, London and New York alongside the 2019 Argyle Tender, with bids closing on 9 October.
Alan Chirgwin, vice-president of sales and marketing, Rio Tinto Copper & Diamonds, said in a statement, “We are delighted to offer for the first time ever this unique collection of rare Argyle pink diamonds, destined to be in strong demand by the world’s finest jewellers.
“The accumulation of these diamonds from a certifiable source in various shapes, sizes and colours is the result of a painstaking endeavour, unlikely to be ever repeated.”
Less than 100 carats of equivalent pink diamonds are expected to be produced by the Argyle site before its 2020 closure.