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How Rare Are Argyle Pink Diamonds?

June 02, 2022

How Rare Are Argyle Pink Diamonds?

While choosing between different types of diamonds, one often wonders, are Argyle diamonds good quality? The shortest and most straightforward answer to this query is: yes! These pink diamonds are considered one of the rarest kinds of diamonds, which makes them of exceptional worth to most jewellery lovers. Their unique colour also contributes to their popularity.      

Production of Argyle Pink Diamonds 

When looking at Argyle diamonds for sale, you should understand that this collection of diamonds is from the Argyle mine in Western Australia, which ceased production in 2020. While not all of the diamonds produced in the Argyle mine are pink, the Argyle pink diamonds are rare. In reality, Argyle as a company is a big brand name, and the development of their grading for pink diamonds, in general, is remarkable.

A good number of the Argyle diamonds have a small quantity of nitrogen. However, their colour is primarily associated with structural defects of the crystal lattice.

Josephine Johnson, who managed Rio Tinto’s Argyle pink diamonds, claimed they produced the most significant percentage of pink diamonds globally. These gemstones are extremely rare, making it extremely challenging for even the most respected diamond dealers to access them.

Only very few companies can boast about stocking these products–this is because, of all the colours of diamonds available, pink is among the rarest and perhaps the most appreciated.

Where to Find Argyle Pink Diamonds

The largest global pink diamonds were mined from Rio Tinto’s Argyle mine in Western Australia. The mine began production in the early 1980s and stopped mining in November 2020, due to exhausted resources.

There can be many sources of pink diamonds, but the Argyle mines dependably produced diamonds worthy of note. However, only a tiny percentage of the naturally occurring material mined in Argyle were pink diamonds, making them the rarest in the world. 

Due to the shutting down of the Argyle mines, there is a noticeable scarcity of pink diamonds. Low supply has also predictably increased their worth and price. Apart from Australia, pink diamonds have also been produced in Canada, South Africa, India, Brazil, and Borneo.

How Much Do They Cost? 

Although pink diamonds are generally expensive, the Argyle pink diamonds are even more so. This type of diamond cannot go for anything less than $190,000 a carat. The price could also be higher than that, depending on the clarity and the shape of the substance. As an example, it was reported that a pink diamond stone was sold for $46 million, setting a standard that was never previously achieved.

In general, if a regular pink diamond is sold at a price between $130,000 and $190,000, a matching Argyle pink diamond will be at least 60% more than that. The price figure for this precious diamond can even rise to more than a million for just a carat. The value of a diamond is generally determined by the four Cs: cut, colour, clarity, and carat. The following points describe the four Cs of a diamond, in further detail.

  • The cut is the most critical factor to consider in determining the quality of a diamond, as it is what enhances the sparkle of the diamond.
  • The colour falls anywhere between a D to Z scale, with the completely colourless being the most expensive.
  • The clarity of the jewel depends on how many impurities are visible to the human eye in the diamond. 
  • The carat is a measure of the weight of the diamond. The heavier it is, the more precious the diamond is. 

What Makes Argyle Pink Diamonds Special?

Even though Argyle’s production of these diamonds was not in large quantities, the mine had led the world in producing pink diamonds. Other mines have not just produced fewer pink diamonds, but their colour and clarity cannot be compared to the gems Argyle has produced.  

The Argyle mine produced the highest quantity of pink diamonds globally, with their output at the minimum level–which shows just how scarce these gems are. It is believed that to possess an Argyle pink diamond is to have a chunk of Australia’s history.

Conclusion

Diamonds are intricate gemstones. In addition to the different colour hints, it only complicates things more to try and find extraordinary ones. A pink diamond has the most admirable qualities of all varieties. The Argyle pink diamonds are undoubtedly rare and are hard to come by. Vast sums of money are implored in the search and acquisition of this rare gemstone.

The Argyle pink diamonds are much more complex in structure and can take longer to polish, which is needed to bring out the fine beauty of the precious stone. The colour of this diamond is alleged to come from a process known as “plastic deformation,” where it is forced into the Earth’s surface to be adequately reformed, causing distortion that brings about the pink colour.

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