The pink treasure of Western Australia

Natural forces beneath an iconic landscape formed coveted Argyle pink diamonds more than a billion years ago. In September, the final collection of these rare gems ever to be unearthed goes to tender.

Beneath the rust-red escarpments and ancient gorges of the East Kimberley, one of the most exquisite gifts ever made by the earth had lain hidden for 1.6 billion years. Mysterious elemental forces more than 160 kilometres beneath this unique place forged Western Australia’s iconic pink diamonds. And science still doesn’t know how their rich ‘Allegra’ by jeweller Olivar Musson hues (Argyle “pinks” can also be red, violet and blue) came to reflect the natural spectrum of the epic Kimberley landscape. It’s a sublime fluke of nature. Only discovered in the late 1970s by the Argyle mine, these unique Australian treasures became known around the world as Argyle pink diamonds. Pink diamonds from other countries have captivated the royal and rich throughout history, of course. Starting in the 16th century, the Agra – a 28.15-carat cushion-cut fancy pink diamond – was worn by the Mogul emperors of India. The stunning pear-shaped Condé Pink diamond is part of the French crown, held today at the Musée Condé in Chantilly. But spectacularly coloured Argyle gems are like nothing else the world has ever seen. The unique allure and value of Argyle pink diamonds, aside from beauty, lies in their scarcity. Although Western Australia’s Argyle mine has produced more than 90 per cent of the world’s pink diamonds, less than one per cent of the 865 million carats of

diamonds divined by the Argyle mine over the past four decades have been pink. Each year, only 50 to 60 of the mine’s most exceptional pink diamonds have ever been offered for sale to an exclusive set of jewellery ateliers and connoisseurs in the hotly anticipated Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender. Few hands ever touch these raw treasures. With a complex molecular structure unlike any other gem, Argyle pink diamonds can only be cut and polished by master artisans and are sold and transformed into timeless heirloom jewellery by just 35 ateliers around the world. “In another decade, the Argyle pink diamond will emerge as the new Fabergé egg – the thing jewellery myths are made of,” said jewellery historian Vivienne Becker in 2015. The moment has come early. Last November, the Argyle mine closed and the 2021 tender, open by invitation only to select global ateliers, collectors and connoisseurs, offers the last of these incomparably rare gems ever to be extracted. With only 70 diamonds, collectively weighing 81.63 carats, the exquisite collection has a show stopper: the 3.47-carat Argyle Eclipse, the largest fancy intense pink diamond to ever be offered at the Argyle tender. There will also be 41 lots of carefully curated Argyle blue and violet diamonds; these, too, are the last to emerge from the Argyle mine. This tender, says Becker, “encapsulates the near-impossible rarity and compelling beauty of the natural treasures gifted to the world by the East Kimberley region of Western Australia.” Final bids will be made on 1 September. A piece of history waits to be claimed.