To those who are unfamiliar with the Argyle Pink Tender, it reigns as the most well-known auction for the sales of pink, purple, violet and red diamonds in the world. The main attraction this year, appropriately named the Argyle Alpha, weighs in at 3.14 carats as a finished rectangular step-cut gemstone (emerald cut). Along with this stone, five super-rare red diamonds will also be making an appearance at the event.
In the main article photo, the Argyle Alpha is accompanied by the Argyle Muse, which is a 2.28 carat oval-shaped purplish red diamond. This stone is also a record-holder for its color type, and was originally cut from a gigantic fancy-colored rough specimen which initially weighed 7.39 carats. These two diamonds promise to excite the bidding community, rivaling the excitement caused by last year's worldwide record-breakers- the Pink Star (72.1 million USD) and the Pink Promise (31.8 million USD) presented through Sotheby's and Christie's auction houses.
The Argyle Alpha will journey around the world, visiting a select group of high-profile buyers- during the next several months. Rio Tinto's suite of fancy colored diamonds will leave Sydney soon, moving on to places like Hong Kong and London, garnering bids till later on in the year.
