Rio Tinto Unveils Inaugural Bunder Diamond Jewelry

Reena Ahluwalia Designs 

'Courageous Spirit' Collection 

Rio Tinto Makes Indian Diamond History, 

Unveils Inaugural Bunder Diamond Jewelry

Mumbai, India, August 24, 2012 - Rio Tinto unveiled the inaugural Bunder diamond jewelry collection comprising diamonds from the sampling to date at its developing Bunder project in Madhya Pradesh. The Courageous Spirit jewelry collection holds a very special place in Indian diamond history as it has been at least a century since India has mined, designed and manufactured its own diamond jewelry," said Dr Nik Senapati, Managing Director of Rio Tinto India.

Madhya Pradesh-born designer, Reena Ahluwalia was commissioned to design the Courageous Spirit jewelry as a tribute to the women of Madhya Pradesh. 

“As a woman born and brought up in the region (Madhya Pradesh), creating this milestone collection is like coming a full circle. I am honoured to tell the Bunder story through my designs and be a part of this historic diamond moment,” commented Reena Ahluwalia, International Award Winning Designer.

The focus of the necklace is a stunning diamond-encrusted disc that symbolizes the natural abundance of the Bunder diamond deposit. Inspired by a compass, the disc rotates on a central axis, while a marker points to the true centre of the Bunder story - the earthly origins of the diamonds and the pioneering spirit of the people who are so integral to Bunder's development. The latitude and longitude coordinates of the Bunder diamond deposit are inscribed on the back of the disc.

Titled "Courageous Spirit", the jewelry features a magnificent statement necklace and a set of complementary earrings. The collection incorporates a total of 25.34 carats of polished Bunder diamonds and 2.8 carats of rough Bunder diamonds, including a 5.04 carat round brilliant cut white diamond and a 5.02 carat round brilliant cut cognac diamond.

Maintaining the important Indian pedigree of the collection, the rough diamonds have been carefully transformed by master craftsmen in Indian cutting and polishing factories, while the innovative design has been brought to life with designer Reena Ahluwalia by Indian jewelry manufacturer Uni-Design Jewellery Private Ltd - a Mumbai-based company with a reputation for exquisite craftsmanship. 

Rio Tinto partnered with Venus Jewel and Mahendra Brothers to cut and polish the stones. Guest of Honour at the event was the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

 According to Bruce Cox, Managing Director of Rio Tinto Diamonds, "By harnessing the skill and creativity of India's respected diamond artisans, these magnificent jewelry pieces are symbolic of an important new chapter in the country's proud diamond history.

The Bunder project, likely to come into commercial production in 2016, presents enormous opportunities not only for the Madhya Pradesh region, but for the broader Indian diamond industry as well, with Rio Tinto presenting a unique opportunity for India to mine, manufacture and market its own diamonds."

The Courageous Spirit collection is not available for sale, but will be showcased at a number of events throughout the second half of 2012.

About the Bunder Diamond ProjectThe Bunder diamond project was discovered in 2004 by Rio Tinto and in 2010 a State Support Agreement was signed with Government of Madhya Pradesh as an endorsement of the mutual commitment to the development of the project. An Inferred Resource (the first quantifiable estimate of an ore-body) has been defined as 37 million tonnes, containing 27.4 million carats. The Government of Madhya Pradesh gave in principle approval to the issue of a mining lease for the Bunder project via a "Letter of Intent" in January 2012. Rio Tinto is now working on the mine plan, environmental and forestry approvals required to execute a Mining Lease. At least rupees 2200 crore (US$500M) will be required to fully develop the Bunder diamond project.Once developed the Bunder diamond mine is expected to place Madhya Pradesh in the top ten diamond producing regions of the world.

About Rio Tinto Diamonds
Rio Tinto operates a fully integrated diamonds business from exploration through to sales and marketing. It is one of the world's major diamond producers through its 100 per cent control of the Argyle mine in Australia, 60 per cent of the Diavik mine in Canada, 78 per cent interest in the Murowa mine in Zimbabwe and 100 per cent interest in the Bunder project in India.

Rio Tinto's share of the production from its three operating diamond mines is sold through its sales and marketing headquarters in Antwerp, with representative offices in Mumbai, Hong Kong and New York. It also operates a niche cutting and polishing factory in Perth for the rare pink diamonds from its Argyle mine. Rio Tinto is a leading supporter of the Kimberley Process, as well as a founding member of Responsible Jewellery Council. Website:www.riotintodiamonds.com

Photos: Rio Tinto Diamonds.