Hand-picked guests gather to see rare pink diamonds

The Argyle Pink Diamond Tender, showcasing the finest coloured diamonds from Rio Tinto’s mine in northwest Australia, opens its doors to about 100 carefully selected gem enthusiasts in Hong Kong this week.

Jewellery makers, connoisseurs, collectors and investors – by invitation only – will view the 64 diamonds of this year’s tender, which have a combined weight of 54.99 carats.

Besides 58 gems in various hues of pink, the catalogue features three blue and three exceedingly rare “Fancy Red” diamonds, one the biggest ever to be displayed at the tender.

Rio Tinto believes the United States will remain its key market for diamonds but China is growing fast as the increasing affluence of the country’s middle-class drives up demand.

“The Chinese market is about five per cent. We do expect, through the course of 2020, for that to be over 20 per cent,” said Alan Davies, chief executive of Rio Tinto’s diamonds and minerals division. “So there’s good growth there.”

Tiffany & Co said last month that demand for gems in China had lifted its global sales in the latest quarter, leading the luxury jeweller to raise its profit forecast for the year.

Pink diamonds comprise just 0.01 per cent of the Argyle mine’s total production but they make up more than 90 per cent of the pink diamonds on the global market.