Rio Tinto Unveils Inaugural Bunder Diamond Jewelry

Rio Tinto on Friday unveiled its inaugural Bunder diamond jewelry collection comprised of diamonds from a production sample out of prospective Bunder mine in Madhya Pradesh, India, Rapaport reports.
“I am delighted that seven years after our initial discovery, we can showcase these exquisite pieces of jewelry that provide a window into the enormous potential of the gems contained in the Bunder deposit,” said Nik Senapati, the managing director of Rio Tinto India.
The jewelry titled ''Courageous Spirit'' features a necklace and a set of complementary earrings, incorporating 25.34 carats of polished diamonds and 2.8 carats of rough, all sourced at the Bunder project. The designs include a 5.04-carat round brilliant cut white diamond and a 5.02-carat round brilliant cut cognac diamond.
The Bunder mine is expected to launch commercial production in 2016 and is projected to have annual production of 2 million to 3 million carats a year.
Bruce Cox, the managing director of Rio Tinto Diamonds, said, “The Bunder project 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.” Cox added that the project could create 10,000 jobs throughout India’s diamond industry.