Where do champagne diamonds come from?
Monday, June 6, 2011 by admin
Rio Tinto’s Argyle Diamond Mine in the rugged and beautiful East Kimberley region of Western Australia is the world’s largest producer of champagne diamonds. The East Kimberley is a land of rugged mountain ranges, deep gorges and arid savannah within which lie pipes of lamproite, diamond-bearing ore.
The Australian Aborigines who are traditional owners of the land in the East Kimberley believe that the diamonds were formed when a barramundi fish escaped through a spinifex net. According to that myth, the colors of the diamonds mined from the red earth of the region come from different parts of the barramundi.
Rio Tinto’s Argyle Diamond Mine operates in partnership with local communities within this region, ensuring that it provides a legacy of stronger, healthier communities, and that the rights of traditional owners are observed and respected.
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