The Argyle Story: Why Pink Diamonds Are So Rare
Of all the diamonds in the world, few carry a story as remarkable, or as close to home, as the Argyle pink. For almost four decades, a single mine in the remote East Kimberley of Western Australia was the source of nearly all of the world's pink diamonds. Today that mine is closed, and the pinks that remain are all there will ever be.
A discovery on an anthill
The first Argyle pink diamond was found in 1979, sitting on top of an anthill. Production began in 1983, first as alluvial mining, then as an open pit from 1985. In 2013 the operation moved underground to reach diamonds more than half a kilometre below the surface.
The diamonds themselves are far older. They formed more than one and a half billion years ago, long before the continents took the shape we know today.
Around 90% of the world's pinks
Over 37 years of uninterrupted production, Argyle produced about 90% of the world's pink diamonds. Even so, pinks were only ever a tiny part of what the mine produced. According to Argyle, a whole year's production of polished pink diamonds over one carat could fit in the palm of one hand.
The final day of mining was 3 November 2020. With no new pinks coming from Argyle, the supply is now fixed.
What makes a diamond pink?
Most coloured diamonds owe their colour to a trace element: nitrogen gives yellow, boron gives blue. Pink is different. Research by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has found that the colour of 99.5% of pink diamonds comes from distortion in the diamond's crystal structure, created by immense pressure deep in the earth, not from any impurity. Even the GIA notes that scientists still do not know the exact atomic structure of the defect that creates the colour.
Every stone has a provenance
Argyle pink diamonds over 0.08 carats were given a unique lot number, laser-inscribed on the stone and visible only under magnification, so each one can be traced back to its origin.
Seeing them in person
Photographs rarely do a pink diamond justice. Its colour shifts softly with the light, and no two are quite alike. Our Pink Argyle collection brings together pieces set with these rare diamonds. We would love to show them to you in the boutique.