Invincible. That’s what a “diamond” means if translated from Ancient Greek. It is one of the most robust and rarest minerals on the planet. The oldest diamonds can reach several billion years. But the diamond is a truly unique phenomenon; its endowment with natural color testifies the most unusual circumstances of the formation. Blue, yellow, green, pink diamonds look particularly mysterious and often one-of-a-kind. However, the rarest ones are so-called argyle diamonds.
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What Color Are Argyle Diamonds?
Argyle diamonds are named after the Argyle mine located in Australia. It’s the main source of high-quality pink diamonds, owned by the industry giant Rio Tinto. This area is a “home” of unique argyle diamonds. Therefore, the Argyle is a brand name in a certain sense.
An Argyle diamond is a gemstone with a deep, saturated pink color mined at the particular mine in Kimberley region, Western Australia. But do not confuse it with Kimberley mine area located in SAR, which has given the name to the Kimberley process – non-conflict diamond protocol. The color gradation of the stones encompasses thousands of natural hues, ranging from a pale pink to bright purple and even red. A pink color occurs due to small deformations in the diamond crystal lattice. As mentioned above, there is only one pink stone per 100,000 diamonds in nature. Argyle rough diamonds are usually large – the final production of this mine rarely weights less than several carats.
Although the 4C parameters (Carat, Cut, Color, and Clarity) are applied to such stones as well as to the rest of the others, the company also developed a separate system for evaluating argyle diamonds. The shade scale is divided into 4 positions:
- PP (Purplish Pink);
- P (Pink);
- Pink Rosé (PR);
- PC (Pink Champagne).
Besides, there is also a classification by the intensity level. This ranges from 1 – Very Intense, to 9 – Medium Light (pink champagne diamonds only go until 3).
These is the basic knowledge needed about Argyle diamonds:
- Pink diamonds world’s center, Argyle Mine, was discovered in 1976 in the North-West of the country. 40 years ago, geologists studied the rivers in the area and found a center of the diamond treasure. This place was covered with green hills and picturesque mountains before the work started. After 20 years, the situation changed dramatically. A manufactured landscape began to reign around. Argyle miners live in a small village nearby.
- At the peak of its productivity, Argyle mine brought about 40 million carats of diamonds per year. For the entire time, while the spring was used, diggers extracted about 800 million carats of precious stone.
- By the way, the largest pink diamond had a mass of 12 carats. However, as it often happens, jewelers were not able to cut it – the stone cracked due to internal stresses.
- Moreover, pink diamonds make up only 1% of the world’s gemstone production. They are the most valuable in terms of sales. Over the past ten years, prices for such gems have increased five times!
The Legacy Of Argyle Diamonds
Argyle Diamonds are well-known for their beautiful pink and red colors, making them some of the rarest and most valuable diamonds in the world. While the mine also produced other types of diamonds, like white, champagne, and cognac, the pink Argyle diamonds are the most famous. Their unique colors and qualities make them very popular among collectors and jewelry lovers.
In 1996, the mine discovered a remarkable diamond called the Argyle Pink Jubilee, which weighed 12.76 carats. This diamond became one of the largest pink diamonds ever found and was sold for more than $10 million, breaking records at the time. Sadly, in 2020, the mine’s operator, Rio Tinto, announced it would close because there were no more diamonds left to mine. The final sale in November 2020 featured a special collection of rare diamonds, marking the end of an important chapter in the diamond industry.
Located in a remote part of Western Australia’s Kimberley region, the Argyle Diamond mine has played a big role in diamond production history. Over its 37 years of operation, it produced more than 875 million carats of rough diamonds, making Australia the fourth-largest diamond-producing country in the world. The discoveries from the Argyle mine have greatly influenced the global diamond market and have left a lasting impact on Australia’s mining history.
What Is An Argyle Diamond Price?
Natural rough pink diamonds are extremely rare. Therefore, just like any other colored diamonds, pink diamonds’ value does not depend on any price list.
Evaluation of a diamond is made by its carat weight, cut quality, transparency, and color. While colorless diamond’s price depends on its transparency, the cost of Argyle is rising with its color intense.
Uniformity and color saturation are essential for colored diamonds. That is why colored diamonds often have a composite name of dominant and secondary shades – like Brown Pink or Orangey Pink. The strongest hue of the diamond is called vivid – it is the rarest and the most valuable type of argyle diamonds.
Buying a pink diamond is not easy, even if you are willing to shell out a considerable amount for gems. You can buy it only at an auction or at the diamond exchange (note that a limited number of dealers work with fancy diamonds). For an argyle diamond price will start at 80,000$ per carat and can go up to a million dollars per carat. For example, one of the rarest pink diamonds in the world was sold at an auction for a record 46 million.
What Makes Argyle Diamonds So Rare?
Argyle Diamonds are best known for their stunning pink and red colors, which are very rare. These colored diamonds make up less than 0.1% of all the diamonds produced by the Argyle mine, yet they are the most sought after by buyers. The mine, which covers 110 acres, is located in rocks that are over 1.5 billion years old. Remarkably, diamonds from this site have contributed to 90% of the world’s total diamond supply.
Even though only a small number of pink diamonds were mined from Argyle, their outstanding quality makes them special. The bright pink and red colors are among the rarest found in diamonds, which adds to their appeal. These unique features make Argyle Diamonds highly valuable and treasured in the jewelry market.
Now that the Argyle mine has closed, these beautiful diamonds are becoming even more limited in supply. This scarcity is expected to increase their value, with prices likely to rise in the coming years. As a result, collectors and investors are eager to own a piece of this rare legacy, making Argyle Diamonds even more desirable over time.
Argyle Gemstones In Engagement Ring Design
Color diamonds are scarce yet incredibly popular, especially among those who are used to stand out from the crowd and marvel by their choices. Also, many romantic brides dream of owning an argyle diamond engagement ring. It is so because of this diamond is not only a fashion trend but also a good investment.
By the way, Argyle diamonds can perfectly fit white and yellow gold bands. Similarly, you can choose any ring design up to your taste. It can be a classic engagement ring with a single diamond secured by six small spots or asymmetric stone with some small surrounding diamonds.
Pink diamonds look also amazing in different cuts – no matter if it’s oval or round, cushion or asscher, pear or marquise.
