Argyle pink diamonds are extremely rare and highly sought-after, making them some of the most valuable diamonds in the world. The Argyle diamond mine in Western Australia is the primary source of pink diamonds, and it is estimated that only 0.01% of the diamonds recovered from the mine are pink in colour, with an even smaller percentage being of the highest quality.
The Argyle mine ceased operations in 2020, which has led to speculation that the prices of pink diamonds, including argyle pink diamonds, may increase in the coming years. With the mine no longer producing new stones, the limited supply of these rare diamonds is expected to drive up demand and prices. However, like any investment, it’s important to carefully consider market trends and consult with a qualified professional before making any decisions.
The largest pink argyle diamond found to date is the Argyle Pink Jubilee, which was discovered at the Argyle mine in Western Australia in 2011. The diamond weighs 12.76 carats and is a vivid pink colour, making it one of the largest and most valuable pink diamonds ever found. The Pink Jubilee was cut and polished over a period of ten months, during which time the rough diamond was studied and analyzed extensively to determine the best way to bring out its natural beauty and maximize its value. The diamond was sold at auction in 2013 for an undisclosed sum, but it is believed to have fetched a record-breaking price per carat for a pink diamond.
Red diamonds are extremely rare, even more so than pink diamonds. It is estimated that only a handful of natural red diamonds are found each year, and most of them are less than half a carat in size. Red diamonds are so rare that many jewelers and gemologists may go their entire careers without ever seeing one.
The red colour in diamonds is caused by the presence of a rare mineral which causes “graining,”, This occurs when the crystal structure of the diamond is distorted during its formation. The graining causes the diamond to absorb green light and reflect red light, resulting in a beautiful and distinctive red hue. Because of their rarity, red diamonds are among the most valuable and expensive gemstones in the world. They are highly sought-after by collectors and investors, and prices for top-quality stones can reach millions of dollars per carat at auction.
Blue diamonds are also quite rare, but not as rare as pink or red diamonds. Blue diamonds account for only about 0.02% of all diamonds mined worldwide. The blue colour in diamonds is caused by the presence of trace amounts of boron during their formation, which causes the diamond to absorb red, yellow, and green light, resulting in a blue hue.
Blue diamonds are highly prized for their unique colour and rarity, and they can command very high prices at auction. The value of a blue diamond depends on a variety of factors, including its size, colour intensity, clarity, and overall quality. Blue diamonds range in colour from pale blue to vivid blue, with the most valuable stones being those with a deep, rich blue colour.
One of the most famous blue diamonds is the Hope Diamond, which is a 45.52-carat blue diamond that is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s collection of natural history specimens.
The most expensive diamond ever sold is the Pink Star, a 59.60-carat oval-cut pink diamond that was sold for $71.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong in 2017. The diamond, which is the largest internally flawless fancy vivid pink diamond ever graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), was mined in Africa in 1999 and took two years to cut and polish.
The Pink Star was originally sold at auction in 2013 for a record-breaking $83 million, but the sale was later cancelled after the buyer defaulted on the payment. The diamond was put back up for auction in 2017 and sold to a jewelry retailer in Hong Kong for $71.2 million, setting a new world record for the most expensive diamond ever sold at auction.
Yellow diamonds are not as rare as pink, red, or blue diamonds, but they are still considered rare and highly prized. Yellow diamonds are formed when nitrogen atoms are trapped in the crystal lattice structure of the diamond during its formation, causing it to absorb blue light and reflect yellow light.
The intensity of the yellow colour in a diamond can vary widely, ranging from a pale yellow or light lemon colour to a deep, intense yellow. The most valuable yellow diamonds are those with a deep, rich colour that is evenly distributed throughout the stone.
Yellow diamonds are mined in various parts of the world, including South Africa, Australia, and Canada. While yellow diamonds are not as rare as some other coloured diamonds, high-quality yellow diamonds can still command very high prices at auction, especially those with a large carat weight and intense colour.
Orange diamonds are considered rare and highly valuable. The orange colour in diamonds is caused by the presence of nitrogen and other impurities in the crystal lattice structure of the diamond, which absorb blue and green light, resulting in an orange hue.
Orange diamonds can range in colour from pale orange to a deep, vivid orange, with the most valuable stones being those with a pure and intense colour. Orange diamonds are not as commonly found as white or yellow diamonds and are considered much rarer than brown or gray diamonds.
The most famous orange diamond is the Pumpkin Diamond, a 5.54-carat fancy vivid orange diamond that was mined in South Africa. The Pumpkin Diamond was sold at auction in 1997 for over $1.3 million, and it is now part of the collection at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
It’s hard to believe that COVID first hit just over three years ago.
After the original shock that the pandemic caused, especially when lockdowns were put in place in large parts of the world in early 2020, markets, rather than continuing to crash, instead surged higher.
Stimulus programs from both central banks and central governments, which were enormous in scope, were the primary cause of this surge, with the vast quantity of dollars fed into the system leading to one of the biggest rallies in the share market, cryptocurrencies, and even real estate on record.
Since late 2021 it’s been tough going though, with the last twelve or so months particularly challenging for most investors.
The new Tiffany Collection comprises 35 gems, including an unusual red stone, from the Argyle Diamond Mine in Australia.
About a year ago, a representative of the Argyle Diamond Mine — a site in Western Australia that was the pre-eminent source of pink diamonds until it closed in 2020 — approached Tiffany & Company’s chief gemologist with an unusual offer: the chance to purchase a collection of diamonds that were among the last stones taken from the mine.
The decision, Tiffany executives said, didn’t require much consideration.
“We had to do it,” Anthony Ledru, the brand’s president and chief executive, said in his bright office in New York’s Flatiron district. “It’s perfect with what we stand for.”
The purchase, which was finalized several months ago, involved 35 diamonds of various shades: pink, almost purple and even one red gem, an especially unusual color for a diamond. The gems, which had already been cut in various styles, “checked off all of those boxes: rarity, scarcity and beauty,” said Victoria Reynolds, Tiffany’s chief gemologist.
But the stones are small, ranging from 0.35 carats to 1.52 carats, considerably more petite than the statement-size gemstones frequently used in engagement rings and solitaire necklaces.
“These are small, there’s no doubt,” Ms. Reynolds said, “but for connoisseurs, collectors who understand how rare these are, it’s incredibly appealing.”
How much did the jeweler pay for what it now calls the Tiffany Collection? Mr. Ledru wouldn’t disclose the sum, but said it was “probably not enough compared to what it’s going to become in the next five, 10 years.” (He did note that it was Tiffany’s largest single purchase of 2022.)
Exactly how the diamonds will be used in jewelry hasn’t been decided, although Mr. Ledru said it was likely that they all would be used in one-of-a-kind designs. In the meantime, the diamonds are being shown to select clients in New York City and, next month, in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
The eventual prices are sure to be high. “You pay a premium for anything that says ‘Argyle pink diamond,’” said Renée Newman, an independent gemologist and author based in Los Angeles.
Chroma Diamonds founded by Alexander Appels and Jan De Henau is a relatively new company in the Antwerp diamond district, which specializes in colored diamonds. Stymied by the relatively “subjective process of color grading”, the 2 have set out on a mission to develop a device that provides more objective measurements for the grading of colored stones.
The device will utilize AI gathering data points and becoming smarter with each new set of inputs. They believe with sufficient time the device would learn enough to be able to more accurately grade certain stones, especially in resolving cases where certain grading criteria place the value of diamond on the edge of a color category but not quite enough to satisfy it being classified in the next grade above.
“Customers come to us with high expectations. After all, the value of their diamond is determined by, among other things, the color and intensity of that color, and let it (partly) depend on the cut and the people in the grading office, we hear. Because it is they who assign the diamond an official color, and therefore also determine its value definitively,” explains Appels.
Though this idea is not new to the Diamond District the duo has taken things one step further receiving support from the innovation process of the City of Antwerp. They plan on using and testing the device in their own business first as proof-of-concept before taking it to the greater market.
A pink-diamond necklace led the most recent jewelry auction at Phillips, smashing its high estimate to bring in $1.9 million following a “fierce” bidding battle.
The oval, 4.05-carat, fancy-intense-pink diamond pendant by Boodles was estimated at $800,000 to $1.2 million at the December 13 New York sale. It is one of eight lots in the top 10 that beat their presale high price tags.
In total, the sale garnered $7.4 million, with 81% of items on offer finding buyers.
“We are delighted to conclude the year on such a high note,” said Benoît Repellin, worldwide head of jewelry for Phillips. “With enthusiastic bidding across the globe — from Egypt, to Korea, to Brazil — the sale demonstrated the continued appeal for rare colored and colorless diamonds, as well as for exceptional signed pieces.”
A round cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut, 30.65-carat, fancy-intense-yellow diamond ring sold for $693,300, exceeding its $500,000 high estimate.
Pink and yellow diamonds from two iconic Rio Tinto mines – Argyle and Diavik – have been brought together to create a unique ring.
It’s called Diavik Midnight Sun and has been valued at $1.24m.
An 18.08 carat fancy intense yellow oval diamond from Diavik, in sub-Arctic Canada, contrasts with an intricate setting of rare Argyle pink diamonds, from the now-closed mine in in the remote East Kimberley region of Western Australia, weighing 4.09 carats in total.
The yellow diamond was cut from a 36.75-ct rough gem, described as one of the finest large yellow diamonds uncovered at Diavik.
Rio Tinto’s general manager of sales and marketing for its diamonds business, Patrick Coppens said “This combination of a rare yellow Diavik diamond and Argyle Pink Diamonds, the rarest diamonds in the world, is a special moment in the history of Rio Tinto’s unique place in the natural fancy coloured diamond industry.
He paid tribute to luxury jeweler Musson for creating the ring. The Diavik Midnight Sun takes its inspiration from the exquisite natural phenomenon that occurs when the sun is seen at midnight in the Arctic, exhibiting beautiful golden and pink hues.
A rivière diamond necklace was the top seller at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels in Hong Kong on Monday, bringing in $5.9 million.
The sale price for the piece, which features 52 round brilliant-cut, D-flawless and internally flawless diamonds weighing a total of 104.84 carats, was within estimates. In total, the November 28 auction achieved $46.2 million, with 50% of the jewels on offer exceeding their high estimates, Christie’s said Monday.
The company sold 86% of available lots, or 82% by value, and drew global participation from 21 countries across three continents.
The auction also included a collection of jewels from Hong Kong actress Rosamund Kwan, which fetched a combined total of $11.1 million. The two leading lots from that sale saw heavily competitive bidding, lasting over 15 minutes, Christie’s noted. The top item in the group was a necklace featuring a pear brilliant-cut, 22.18-carat, D-color, VVS1-clarity diamond pendant with rubies and pink diamonds, which went for $2.1 million, within estimates.
Here are the rest of the top five:
A jadeite, diamond and sapphire necklace by Etcetera sold for $2.8 million against a presale estimate of $2.6 million to $3.8 million.
This cushion modified brilliant-cut, 60.79-carat, fancy-vivid-yellow, VS2-clarity diamond ring brought in $2.7 million, in the middle of its $2.3 million to $3.6 million presale range.
A round brilliant-cut, 19.61-carat, D-flawless, type IIa diamond ring exceeded its $1.7 million to $2.3 million presale estimate, bringing in $2.4 million.
This oval-cut, 5.32-carat Burmese pigeon’s blood ruby ring with pear-shaped diamonds by Cartier Paris achieved $2.1 million, within its expected range of $1.9 million to $2.3 million.
Jefferson Ncube, an illegal diamond miner from Zimbabwe, works on his latest tunnel at an abandoned De Beers mine near Kleinzee, South Africa.
Bracing against the vibrations of the jackhammer, illicit diamond miner Jefferson Ncube bores steadily into the rock face before him, sending chunks of dry stone clattering to the ground and filling the air with a cloud of pale gray dust. He’s 30 feet below the surface of the desert in the Namaqualand region of South Africa in a tunnel barely tall enough to crawl through.
“I don’t enjoy this at all, but I need the money,” says Ncube, who holds a degree in agricultural science from the University of Pretoria but says he has been unable to find work elsewhere. “I have a family to support, a wife and a 1-year-old child.”
The Nuttabooimine, near the coastal town of Kleinzee, was once mined by the diamond giant, De Beers, the largest of dozens of industrial mining operators who, for the best part of a century, formed the backbone of the region’s economy.
A diamond miner hauls up a bucket of gravel at an illegal mining site in South Africa’s Northern Cape Province.
But over the past 20 years, rising operational costs and a dwindling supply of diamonds have made large-scale industrial mining increasingly unviable. The sector’s steady decline has left a legacy of chronic unemployment in Namaqualand but has also created opportunities for a growing number of desperate young men and women willing to tolerate hardships and dangers as they eke out a living in abandoned mines.
Known locally as “zama-zamas” — loosely, “ones who try their luck” in isiZulu — unlicensed miners like Ncube are considered illegal by the government. Yet here on South Africa’s wild and diamond-rich Atlantic coast, residents say the number of zama-zamas has burgeoned in recent years, fueled by the lack of jobs, the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rising cost of living, as well as by political and economic crises in neighboring countries.
An ilegal diamond miner breaks up rocks at the Nuttabooi mine near Kleinzee, South Africa.
Earlier this year, South Africa’s minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, described illegal mining as a “plague” amid reports of rampant corruption, extortion and violence linked to zama-zama activity across the country, not only in relation to diamonds but also coal, and other minerals such as gold and chromite. Once confined largely to the country’s estimated 6,100 abandoned or ownerless mines, officials say illegal mining is increasingly spilling over into operational mines too.
Ncube is part of a 12-man team, all of them migrants from Zimbabwe, where hyperinflation and unemployment have made it all but impossible to build a stable life for their families. Out in the desert, living conditions are bleak and working conditions even worse, but with some basic tools and a little knowledge of geology, they manage to make ends meet. The men, almost all of whom have arrived in the past two years, share the work and split whatever profits they make.
Members of an illegal diamond mining collective look down a mineshaft at the Nuttabooi mine.
“We dig down until we hit the bedrock, then we go sideways through this belt,” says Ncube, pointing at a band of rock and gravel on the side wall of the tunnel. “This is where we find the diamonds. In the past, they used hammers and chisels. But if you use a jackhammer, you can take out more rock and then there are more diamonds for you.”
Danger in the tunnels
A zama-zama uses a jackhammer to break up rock in an abandoned De Beers mine.
The miners have little in the way of safety equipment, and their tunnels are prone to collapsing. A little more than half a mile from here, at the neighboring Bontekoe mine, a simple granite plaque in the desert commemorates the miners who lost their lives in a particularly deadly collapse in 2012. Smaller accidents occur frequently and often go unreported. Community leaders say that at least six people have died at Nuttabooi alone in the past few months.
To try to stay safe, Ncube and his colleagues make a point of leaving “pillars” at 6-foot intervals as they tunnel through the ground. But it’s an imperfect system, made harder by the fact that tunnels dug by different groups of miners often collide.
An illegal diamond miner looks out from the top of a De Beers mine that has since been taken over by zama-zamas.
“If the hole is ‘paying,’ people get greedy and they eat away at the pillars until the whole thing is just hanging,” says Ncube. “That’s how some guys died just two holes away from here. If you get greedy you’ll die down here, and then your family will suffer even more.”
After handing over to a colleague, Ncube climbs carefully back up the vertical mine shaft and hauls himself over the edge. At the surface, in a stark, lunar landscape of craters and piles of rubble, zama-zamas cluster together around their holes, sifting through gravel and chatting over the low hum of diesel generators. A few hundred yards away, the old De Beers mine lies abandoned, a massive scar on the face of the desert, hemmed in by towering mine dumps.
“De Beers has taken all the diamonds out of Namaqualand and now we’re back in poverty,” says Andrew Cloete, a longtime illicit miner who lives in a small tent of black and red plastic sheeting in the ever-expanding squatter camp below the Nuttabooi mine. “The companies left us like they found us — with nothing. But if we just sit there thinking about it, our kids will die. So we, the diggers, come in here and take the scraps.”
Andrew Cloete, a diamond miner and activist for mining rights, photographed in his shack in a squatter camp at the Nuttabooi mine in Namaqualand, South Africa. The government considers the activity at Nuttabooi illegal because the miners do not possess permits.
The plight of the zama-zamas
There is a palpable sense of anger, particularly among the miners who grew up in Namaqualand, over how little of the region’s diamond wealth has stayed in the local area. Over several decades, vast quantities of diamonds have been exported overseas, yet most of the area’s roads are still unpaved, service provision is haphazard at best and poverty and alcoholism are endemic. Unemployment in the province stands at over 46%.
“Africa’s f***ed up. We don’t have jobs, all we have is minerals — but they’re being looted by the West,” said one miner, an unemployed mechanical engineer who didn’t want to be named, citing concerns that he may be targeted by the authorities. “This is our Africa. This is our land. These are our minerals.”
Zama-zamas have little bargaining power and are forced to sell their finds to black-market buyers for a fraction of their true value.
Outside Cloete’s tent, men wander through a small city of plastic lean-tos that has sprung up in the desert over the past two years. The camp has enveloped a handful of derelict buildings left behind by the mining companies, where zama-zamas now sleep side by side on filthy mattresses on the floor. The camp, home to around 1,500 people, has no electricity, running water, clinics or sanitation but a surplus of bars and taverns that do a steady round-the-clock trade.
“Nobody would live in conditions like this if there wasn’t a need,” says Cloete, gesturing toward the scene outside. “We’re here because of poverty, hunger and joblessness.”
They’re not getting rich off their diamonds
Diamond miners at an illegal dig site in Namaqualand, South Africa.
After lighting a cigarette, Cloete reaches for a small glass jar and takes out a plastic packet from inside. Carefully, he empties its contents into his palm. About a dozen small, rough diamonds tumble out. On international markets they might fetch a substantial sum, he says, but due to the illegal nature of their work, the zama-zamas have little bargaining power and are forced to sell their finds to black-market buyers for a fraction of their true value.
“They buy diamonds like they’re buying sweets,” complained one zama-zama. “You get people buying diamonds for 100 Rand [about $5.50].”
Cloete, who founded an informal group of mineral rights activists known as the “Mining Fighters,” has spent years petitioning the South African government to find a productive way to formalize zama-zama mining, a move that he says would lead to safer working conditions and a fairer marketplace for local diamonds, as well as bringing in considerable revenue for the government. Similar systems are in place in many other African countries, where so-called artisanal mining, carried out by individuals or small groups using traditional methods and basic equipment, is now a major employer and revenue generator.
A swimming pool lies empty in the town of Kleinzee in the Namaqualand region of South Africa.
The town was once the property of the De Beers diamond company. In its heyday, it was a thriving settlement of 4,000 people with about 30 recreational clubs. After closing down its mines in the region, De Beers sold off the town, which is now largely empty.
But Cloete says he has yet to receive a response. “They treat us like we’re criminals,” he says.
Many in the formal diamond sector would also like to see the legalization and regulation of informal mining, which they say hampers their legal operations and fuels a parallel black market in illegal diamonds.
“At the end of the day, it’s a situation that’s totally unbearable for us,” said Gert Van Niekerk, chairman of the South African Diamond Producers Organisation, an industry body representing legal diamond miners. “This is not the Wild West.”
Kim Cupito
Kim Cupito, who lives with her husband in a derelict building left behind by De Beers, lost her job during the pandemic. “We need to survive, and this is God’s ground. It’s for everybody,” she says.
In Kleinzee, a faded mining town once owned by De Beers, where most homes now lie empty, residents say the influx of illegal miners from around South Africa and neighboring countries has led to a rise in crime.
The uncertain future faced by zama-zamas
“Zama-zamas aren’t welcome here,” said one Kleinzee restaurateur. “They have knives, they have guns, they’re gangsters. They can come and buy things here, but afterward they must leave. We don’t want them here.”
Illegal diamond miners try to get phone reception at a mining site in Namaqualand, South Africa.
In a policy document released in March, South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy announced its intention to create a new police unit dedicated to combating illegal mining. It also laid out plans to make it easier for artisanal and small-scale miners to legally acquire mining rights by streamlining the expensive and time-consuming process of applying for a permit.
Police raids are frequent. In one major operation in July, a combined force of police and other law enforcement bodies backed by two helicopters and a spotter plane raided the Nuttabooi site, arresting over 100 people and confiscating 130 generators and 121 jackhammers, along with other equipment. But within days, mining activity had resumed.
But creating new legislation to support the policies could take time. And critics say it’s unrealistic to hope that many zama-zamas will voluntarily cease their activities, undergo training, comply with regulations and start paying taxes and royalties to the government, especially given that many are in the country illegally and would not be eligible for mining permits.
In the meantime, Namaqualand’s zama-zamas don’t intend to wait around.
“There’s nothing for us out there,” said Kim Cupito, a former fruit trader who lost her job during the pandemic and now lives with her husband in a derelict De Beers building with gravel piled up in the hallways and gaping holes in the roof. “We need to survive, and this is God’s ground. It’s for everybody.”
A 13.15 carat pink diamond will no longer be available at the upcoming Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction in New York.
The emerald-cut, fancy vivid pink, VVS1 clarity stone, which carried a price estimate of $25 million to $35 million, was poised to be the December 6 sale’s showcase piece. Christie’s described the diamond as one of the largest of its kind to appear at auction.
“Christie’s confirms that the fancy vivid pink diamond ring has been withdrawn from sale in New York on December 6,” a spokesperson said. The company declined to comment further or provide a reason.
The item was scheduled to appear on display in Hong Kong on Friday. The removal was “very surprising,” said one colored diamond dealer in the municipality.
Colored diamonds have had a mixed season at auction. On November 8, the 18.18-carat Fortune Pink fetched CHF 28.4 million ($28.9 million) at Christie’s Geneva, toward the lower end of its presale estimate. The following day, a 5.53 carat diamond from the De Beers Exceptional Blue Collection failed to find a buyer at a Sotheby’s auction in the Swiss city.
With the 13.15 carat pink off the list, the top remaining item at the Magnificent Jewels sale is a pear modified brilliant cut, 31.62 carat, fancy blue diamond pendant with a price estimate of $10 million to $15 million.
Diamond miner Lucapa Diamond Company has sold seven diamonds from its Lulo mine in Angola for $30.1 million, equating to over $39,000 per carat.
The company and its partners, Endiama E.P. and Rosas & Petalas, placed the “special sized” diamonds on international tender earlier this month. Together, the diamonds weighed a combined 767 carats.
The sold diamonds include a 170-carat fancy-coloured diamond dubbed the ‘Lulo Rose’ alongside three white Type IIa diamonds of over 100 carats and three other special-sized white Type IIa stones.
In late September, Lucapa announced it had recovered its 30th diamond of over 100 carats from Lulo, which has been in commercial production since 2015.
The company kicked off commercial production from its Mothae mine in Lesotho in 2019.
Meanwhile, Lucapa said it was continuing to explore for potential primary-source kimberlites or lamproites with its partners across the Lulo concession in Angola, the Brooking project in Australia, and the Orapa Area F project in Botswana.
