Lifestyle
Lifestyle
PRETTY IN PINK!
By Robert E Cliff F.G.A.A., JP`
As long as about three thousand years ago, man bent down to pick up a glistening pebble
and by some chance found it to be different from other stones. From that time diamonds
began to acquire magical powers and to be regarded with awe, worship and avarice. They
were collected, treasured, had legends built around them, were traded in, used as tools,
treated as a gem, used to raise loans, fought over and eventually became symbols of
love and trust. Mans’ early instinct to treat diamonds as unique was true, because today
probably more effort goes into discovering the nature of diamonds than into research on
any other material. Diamond is the hardest substance man has ever discovered and the
purest that occurs in Nature. Most highly prized as a gem, however, it is composed of one
of the commonest substances on earth — ordinary carbon.
Diamond
It has been estimated that only about 130
tons of diamonds have been mined since
they were first discovered thousands of
years ago – the reward is small against the
effort of discovering the source and then
mining it.
Diamond is the only mineral that still has
to be sorted by hand as a last stage in the
mining process. There is no substitute
for the human hand, eye, and brain in
gauging quality and estimating value.
There is no other mineral that has such a
high intrinsic value when mined. Diamond
crystals are therefore kept under guard
from the moment they are discovered. They
remain so through the stages of sorting,
cutting, and setting in jewellery, yet they
are commonly transmitted from place to
place through the ordinary post. Extreme
security precautions have to be taken to
protect both crystals and polished stones
from crooks. Yet within the trade itself,
diamonds of great value pass from hand to
hand on a signature and often without even
that formality. Anyone unconnected with
the diamond trade is amazed at the extent
of trust placed in each other by buyer and
seller. This trust is the keystone that keeps
the entire trade in being.
You will pay anywhere from tens of
thousands of dollars to over a million
dollars per carat for the world’s most
valuable diamond and the Argyle Diamond
Mine (East Kimberley region of Western
Australia) produces 95% of the world’s
supply! As rare as they are, beautiful pink
Diamonds are sought after by collectors,
designers and celebrities.
Their scarcity is a large part of the Argyle
Pink Diamond’s appeal – comprising less
than 0.01% of Argyle’s annual diamond
production. However, only a small
percentage of Argyle Pink Diamonds are
worthy of tender (quality status for fine
jewellery). In 2009 just 43 stones were
worthy of tender, and all were chosen
for their magnificent colour and clarity.
According to their Business Manager,
Argyle Diamonds mines each year a million
carats of diamonds to get just one carat of
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Award
winning
Designers & Manufacturers Since
tender-quality diamonds. Because they are
so rare, not everyone can own one. They
are highly sought after and find their way
into important pieces of jewellery. Some
are so highly prized that they are given their
own names, e.g., ‘Shalimar’ (1.25carat,
round, magic and intense in colour)
named after the exotic garden sanctuary
built by the Indian emperor Jahangir for
his beloved wife. ‘Scarlet’ is another
celebrities such as Halle Berry, Jennifer
Lopez and Victoria Beckham, all of whom
are said to be partial to pink diamonds?
The Argyle Diamond Mine established its
own colour-grading system in the l980’s
to accommodate the intense-coloured
diamonds it produces. This is now an
internationally recognised system. Pink
Diamonds range on a scale from 1-9,
1984
investors, collectors and diamond experts
from around the world.
Most top-end jewellers create fashionable
pieces by setting pinks with white
diamonds, many to become a classically
designed heirloom piece. It is unusual
to see pink diamond earrings as the
individuality of each diamond makes them
so hard to match. Many collectors will wait
years to collect a perfect match.
As the Argyle Diamond mine begins to
scale back its operations in preparation for
closing within the next decade, Rio Tinto’s
annual tender process will no doubt create
increased frenzy and intense competition
among collectors. The romantic appeal
of the pink diamond is destined to live
on after the mine has closed. ‘Shalimar’,
‘Scarlett’ and ‘Argyle Amour’ will have their
own romantic stories to tell. G
outstanding stone unearthed that is a 1.10
carat, oval diamond and is certified as a
very rare red diamond. I believe there are
only five comparable red diamonds on the
world market at the moment. ‘Aphrodite’,
after the Greek goddess of love and
passion, sold for a record price – the name
of the bidder and the final price were not
released. During 2009 ‘Argyle Amour’
was sent to tender, a magnificent 2.61
carats of intense pink and heart-shaped,
perhaps the most valuable heart-shaped
pink diamond every produced from the
Argyle Diamond Mine. What will become of
these magnificent pieces locked away in a
collector’s safe until investment tides turn,
perhaps adorning the neck of glamorous
colours running from purplish pinks to rose
and pastel pinks. A 1P grading using this
system indicates a more intense pink than
a 9P grading. The Argyle Pink Diamonds
are legendary and easily recognised by
professional coloured-diamond dealers,
renowned for their intensity of colour
compared to the pink diamonds found
sporadically in countries such as India,
Brazil and Africa which tend to have a blue
fluorescence.
Make an appointment to sit with Robert to
create your exclusive jewellery design.
Robert Cliff Master Jewellers
Shop 380A Castle Towers
Castle Hill, NSW 2154
p | 0
2 8850 5400
02 8850 7999
e | office@robertcliffmasterjewller.com.au
w | www.robertcliffmasterjewellers.com.au
The Argyle diamond Mine, owned by Rio
Tinto, will decline in production over the
next two to three years and is predicted
to have just 10 more years of life, which
makes its rare offerings keenly sought by
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