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Rio Tinto debuts 'silver' diamonds

October 16, 2009
This ring features Rio Tinto's new Silvermist diamonds, diamonds sourced from the company's Argyle Mine that are not color-treated and are silvery-gray in appearance.

New York--This coming February, Rio Tinto will roll out "Silvermist," its new silvery-gray colored diamonds that can be used to create more affordable diamond jewelry pieces.

At a Rio Tinto press event held earlier this week in New York City, Rio Tinto showed a pair of earrings crafted with the new silver diamonds and traditional colorless diamonds, a marriage that creates a vintage look with a softer contrast than that created by black and white diamonds.

Rebecca Foerster, U.S. vice president of Rio Tinto Diamonds, said that right now, some leading regional independent chains and buying groups--including Ben Bridge Jewelers, Reeds, RJO and Starboard--are carrying the Silvermist diamonds, with only one manufacturer, Interjewel U.S.A., crafting the pieces at this point.

Due to the level of expertise needed to cut and polish these stones, Silvermist diamonds will be slightly more expensive than champagne diamonds, she said.

Rio Tinto gave a sneak peek of its new silver diamonds at the Champagne Diamond Editor Day, held at the offices of the Natural Color Diamond Association (NCDIA) in New York City's Diamond District.

The event showcased jewelry designs created using champagne diamonds from Rio Tinto's Argyle Mine in Australia.

Foerster noted that champagne diamonds offer the consumer something different from colorless diamonds and are priced right for these times, generally costing about 20 percent to 40 percent less than a comparable colorless diamond.

Due to the recession, champagne diamonds have been making inroads into the bridal market in the last six to eight months, as well as an increased presence at red-carpet events.
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