Diamant Rose – June 2012
Mining giant Anglo-Australian Rio Tinto announced Wednesday the discovery of a pink diamond "remarkable", nearly 13 carats, which he said would be the rarest gem and most valuable ever found in Australia. Called the Argyle Pink Jubilee (Jubilee Pink Argyle), the 12.76-carat rough stone was found in a diamond mine operated by Rio Tinto in the Kimberley region (west), said the mining group. "A diamond of this size is unprecedented" in Australia, said Josephine Johnson, division Argyle Pink Diamonds. "It took 26 years to extract the stone and we may never see in a similar".
It is too early to give an estimate of the value of the Jubilee Rose, said Rio Tinto. But the pink diamonds of high quality can reach one million dollars (755,000 euros) per carat, the company said. Diamond prices rose flew past twenty years and these stones are now "one of the most concentrated forms of wealth, far more than white diamonds," said a spokesman for Rio Tinto. Stone, whose name refers to the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, head of state of Australia, is a clear pink color, similar to the Williamson Pink (24 carats) offered to the Queen of England during her marriage to the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947. The Williamson had been discovered that year in Tanzania. Asked if the pink would become property of Jubilee Queen, the spokesman for Rio Tinto said: "Only if she wants to buy new jewelry. But it will have much competition."