The tender, called Beyond Rare, includes 52 lots totalling 45.44 carats. (Image courtesy of Rio Tinto.)
Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) is auctioning its final collection of rare diamonds from its closed Argyle mine in Australia and the soon-to-shutter Diavik operation in Canada.
The tender, called Beyond Rare, includes 52 lots totalling 45.44 carats and marks the end of an era for two of the world’s most celebrated diamond mines.
The centrepieces are six diamond sets selected to represent the peak of production from the East Kimberley region of Western Australia and the Northwest Territories of Canada. The tender also features 39 individual stones and seven curated sets.
Rio Tinto Diamonds’ general manager of sales and marketing, Patrick Coppens, called the auction a historic moment. “It is hard to overstate the importance of this final collection,” he said in the statement. “No other mining company…


