Perth: Rio Tinto has announced its intention to focus its global diamond sales and marketing initiatives on tracked jewelry collections with a clear and transparent chain of custody, from the mine to the market.

Bruno Sané, general manager of marketing for Rio Tinto Diamonds said “We see a unique business opportunity for the industry to tap into the changing expectations of a new generation of consumers who want to know where their diamonds come from.

Rio Tinto Diamonds’ participation in the JCK Las Vegas trade show, the world’s largest retail diamond jewellery fair, was dominated by a focus on provenance and the business opportunity it provides all participants in the diamond and jewellery supply chain. A new series of marketing materials and branded communications was also showcased at the Las Vegas trade show.

Simon Trott, managing director of Rio Tinto Diamonds said “Increasingly 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. This is a very reasonable expectation that is steadily reshaping the diamond industry for the better.”

Rio Tinto Diamonds was also in Las Vegas to formally launch the 2016-2017 Diamonds with a Story collections developed by six US designers -Paige Novick, Xiao Wang, Jennifer Dawes, Matthew Campbell Laurenza, Suzanne Kalan and Sandy Leong. These collections, using Australian tracked diamonds, were designed according to the latest consumer trends and are available to retailers through Rio Tinto’s manufacturing partners.