Rio Tinto has launched its Australian Diamonds™ programme in China as a response to the growing consumer and trade interest in diamond provenance, the Company said in a release today. The step will also lend further market support to its Argyle diamonds, the statement added.

The Company said that from 2016 all of its global marketing activities will be focused on diamonds and jewellery collections that are tracked from the source and have a clear and transparent supply chain.

Terming consumer’s expectations that the value of a diamond is tied to where and how the diamond was mined, how it was cut and polished and the process of bringing it to sale as “a very reasonable expectation”, Bruno Sane, General Manager of Marketing for Rio Tinto Diamonds, said, “This is steadily reshaping the diamond industry for the better.”

Rita Maltez, director of Rio Tinto Diamonds for Greater China said, “Diamonds from Australia promise a deep authenticity, which for Chinese consumers is as desirable as our diamonds. Over the past five years we have seen how Argyle diamonds inspire and inform the emerging Chinese diamond fashion jewellery market, from designers, through to retailers and ultimately consumers.”

She added that the new programme is all about providing consumer confidence and encapsulating the essence of the birthplace of Rio Tinto’s Argyle diamonds – “rugged landscapes, a rich heritage and raw luxury distilled into beautiful jewellery.”

• Rio Tinto is a first mover in developing a proprietary ‘chain of custody’ system with authorised diamond and jewellery manufacturers and retailers and having it independently audited. Authorised suppliers and retailers have access to a trademark and a suite of marketing materials including a Certificate of Authenticity to accompany jewellery that passes through the system, the Company said.