DISCOVER THE RARE ARGYLE PINK DIAMOND
For years the white diamond was considered the world’s most beautiful diamond, until the discovery of the Argyle mine in the East Kimberly region of Western Australia heralded the arrival of the Argyle pink diamond. A tiny portion of Argyle’s production – a fraction of one percent – is the highly prized pink diamond, the signature stone of the Argyle diamond mine.
Argyle is the worlds only reliable source of these much sought after gems and they are recovered in a range of shades from light rose to full-bodied purple-reds. Argyle uses four principal colour categories: purplish pink, pink, pink rosé and pink champagne. These colours are in turn graded according to colour intensity in a range from very faint to very intense. The prices per carat are determined by the intensity of colour. Argyle’s pink diamonds have the intensity and vibrancy of colour not seen in any other diamonds. The pink diamonds of India, Brazil and Africa are characteristically light in colour and pale even further when placed beside the intensely pink Argyle diamonds.
The larger and more valuable diamonds are polished by a small, highly specialised team in Perth. This team has the skills to assess each diamond and bring out their individual characteristics for maximum brilliance and colour. There, the stones are polished in a wide range of cuts, such as round brilliant, marquise, oval and pear, to enhance their natural beauty. The smaller pink diamonds are often manufactured for Argyle in facilities in Sri Lanka, China, India and Mauritius where some of the world’s most skilled craftspeople fashion the gems to reveal their true brilliance.
The more exceptional polished pink diamonds from each year’s production have been sold individually at special auctions known as tenders. Viewings have traditionally been held in New York, Tokyo, Perth, Antwerp, Hong Kong, London and Geneva. The Pink Tender is one of the most anticipated events in the diamond industry’s calendar, and participation in these events is by invitation to an exclusive clientele of diamond dealers and fine jewellers.
The tendered pink diamonds have an average size of about 1 carat. Around 40 to 50 carats in total are sold at these auctions each year. Prices of the pink diamonds are dictated by the intensity of their colour and at the annual Tender are regularly in excess of US$100,000 per carat.
To put the true rarity of these special pink diamonds into perspective, of every million carats of rough diamonds produced at the mine, a mere one carat is suitable for sale in one of these tenders. Since 1985, more than 750 stones have been offered for sale at the tender at a total weight of almost 600 carats.
At Kim Bartlett Master Jewellers, we are exceptionally proud to offer these rare diamonds. Come in and ask how we can transform an Argyle pink diamond into an exquisite piece of jewellery for you.
