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Argyle Pink Diamonds

An Argyle pink diamond is a natural pink diamond mined at the Argyle mine in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia, which Rio Tinto operated from 1983 until its closure in November 2020. The mine supplied most of the world's pink diamonds, and with no replacement source the certified stones in circulation are all there will be. Byrex Gems offers Argyle pink diamonds to the trade from Toronto, each with its documentation and filmed unedited, with prices shown to approved buyers and viewings by appointment.

Where to buy Argyle pink diamonds in Toronto

Byrex Gems lists 100 Argyle pink diamonds online today. 100 of them come with a report from laboratories including GIA and Argyle. Viewings are at our Toronto office, 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, steps from Queen subway station, by appointment. We have supplied coloured gemstones and natural fancy colour diamonds to jewellers and designers since 1988, and welcome private clients by appointment. Prices are shown to approved trade accounts; private clients can ask us on WhatsApp, where we reply within 12 hours, or by email within 24 hours. Every stone ships insured, worldwide.

What is an Argyle pink diamond?

Argyle pink diamonds come from a single deposit, the AK1 lamproite pipe in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. Rio Tinto's Argyle mine began production in 1983, first as an open pit and later underground, and for most of its life it was the largest diamond mine in the world by volume. Pink was a tiny fraction of that output, well under one percent by any count, yet it amounted to most of the pink diamonds the trade had ever seen.

The colour, as in all natural pink diamonds, comes from plastic deformation of the crystal lattice rather than from a trace element. Argyle pinks are known for strong saturation in small sizes, for purplish and brownish modifiers, and for a texture of graining that is visible under magnification. The same deposit produced the rare Argyle reds, the violets and blues that it graded as blue violet, and the champagne and cognac browns that made up most of its coloured output.

Rio Tinto closed the mine in November 2020 after the economic ore was exhausted. The site is being rehabilitated. There is no other known source of pink diamonds with the same character or in anything like the same number.

Argyle grading, inscriptions and certificates

Argyle graded its own pinks before they reached the market, using a system that sits beside laboratory grading rather than replacing it. Colour is sorted into categories by hue: PP for purplish pink, P for pink, PR for pink rose, PC for pink champagne, BL for blue violet and a separate category for red. Within each hue a number from 1 to 9 describes strength, with 1 the most saturated and 9 the lightest.

Larger Argyle pinks carry a laser inscription on the girdle, a lot number unique to the stone, and are accompanied by an Argyle Pink Diamonds certificate, formally a gem identification and authenticity document, that records the lot number, weight, shape and Argyle colour grade. The inscription can be checked against Argyle's records, which gives chain of custody from mine to sale.

Most Argyle pinks of any size are also graded by GIA, and the two documents say different things. The Argyle certificate establishes origin and Argyle's colour category; the GIA report gives the hue, tone and saturation grade, clarity, measurements and colour origin in laboratory language. A buyer should have both. Argyle's grades do not map exactly onto GIA's, and a 5P is not a fixed GIA grade.

What to check before buying an Argyle pink

Ask for the lot number first. Without a laser inscription or an Argyle certificate, a pink diamond may well be from Argyle, but it cannot be sold as one with the documentation the market now expects, and it should be priced as a natural pink of unknown origin.

Then judge the stone as it will arrive. Argyle pinks are often strongly coloured in small sizes, and the cut makes a difference: radiant, cushion, oval and round shapes were all cut at Argyle, and the stone's colour viewed from the top decides its place. Look at the modifier under daylight and under shop light; a purplish pink can shift noticeably between the two. Byrex films every Argyle stone unedited so the modifier, the graining and the inscription can be seen on video.

Clarity is usually SI or lower in this material and is accepted as such. For pairs and sets, matching by Argyle category is a useful first filter, but final matching should be done by eye and by the GIA wording, since two stones of the same Argyle grade can differ in tone. Rose or white metal both suit Argyle pinks; yellow gold tends to pull them brown.

Why provenance now sets the value

Before closure, Argyle pinks were priced as fine pink diamonds with a well known origin. Since November 2020 the origin itself has become part of the value. A closed mine means a fixed supply, and the documentation that proves a stone came from Argyle, the inscription, the certificate and the lot number, now carries a premium over an equivalent natural pink without it. The annual Argyle tender stones, offered to invited buyers from the mid-1980s until the final collections were sold after closure, sit at the top of this market and trade as collectables.

Within Argyle goods the usual rules still apply. Saturation leads, so stones in the low numbers of Argyle's scale and in GIA's Fancy Intense and Fancy Vivid grades are the most sought after. Purplish pink is widely preferred; pink champagne and brownish stones are valued below. Size multiplies rarity sharply, because most Argyle pinks were well under a carat, and anything above that threshold with strong colour is scarce.

Matched pairs and suites carry their own premium because assembling them is now difficult. Byrex shows full trade prices to approved accounts, offers larger Argyle stones on request and does not publish prices.

The tender, the closure and the aftermath

Argyle began offering its finest pinks and reds in an annual tender in the mid-1980s, inviting a small number of dealers and jewellers to bid on a few dozen stones a year. The tender collections, often given names and presented in cities around the world, created the idea of an Argyle pink as a branded object rather than a loose stone. Red diamonds, which GIA grades without a modifier only rarely, appeared almost exclusively through these tenders.

Production ended in November 2020 and the last tender stones were sold in the years that followed. The Argyle Pink Diamonds authentication service continues, so inscriptions can still be verified.

The aftermath has been a steady rise in demand for certified Argyle stones, especially small matched goods for jewellery, and a wider interest in natural pink diamonds from other sources, since buyers who cannot find an Argyle stone will consider a certified pink from Brazil, Russia or South Africa. The famous pinks of auction history, such as the Pink Star and the Graff Pink, did not come from Argyle; what Argyle gave the market was volume, consistency and a name, and all three are now in the past.

Buying Argyle pink diamonds from Byrex Gems

A Toronto house for the jewellery trade since 1988, Byrex Gems counts more than seven thousand jewellers, designers and dealers among its customers. Many of our Argyle pink diamonds are accompanied by reports from GIA and other leading laboratories, and each is filmed in our office so that you can judge it before it travels.

Prices are shown to approved trade buyers. For anything else, WhatsApp +1 (437) 450-3786 reaches us within hours, and info@byrex.com is answered the same day, seven days a week. What is listed is a part of what we hold: more Argyle pinks are kept in the vault, and what we do not hold ourselves we can source through our offices worldwide. Viewings are by appointment in Toronto, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Dubai.

Argyle Pink Diamonds: questions buyers ask

How do I know a pink diamond is from Argyle?

Look for the Argyle laser inscription on the girdle and the Argyle certificate that records the lot number. The inscription can be checked with the Argyle Pink Diamonds authentication service. Without these, origin cannot be proven.

What does 4PP or 5P mean?

These are Argyle's own grades. The letters give the hue category, PP for purplish pink and P for pink, and the number gives strength from 1, the most saturated, to 9, the lightest. They sit beside, not instead of, a GIA grade.

Do Argyle pink diamonds also carry GIA reports?

Most of any size do. GIA grades the hue, tone, saturation and clarity in laboratory terms, while the Argyle certificate establishes origin. Byrex supplies both documents where both exist and quotes the GIA wording on the stone page.

Are Argyle pink diamonds treated?

No. Argyle pinks are natural, with colour from lattice distortion, and the GIA report states natural colour origin. Any treated pink diamond, from whatever source, must be disclosed as treated at every sale.

Does Byrex source Argyle pink diamonds not shown on the site?

Yes. Byrex sources Argyle stones through long-standing contacts in Australia, Hong Kong, Antwerp and New York, including matched pairs for earrings. Each stone is offered with its Argyle documentation and GIA report.

Why have Argyle pink prices risen since the mine closed?

Because supply is fixed. No new Argyle stones have been mined since November 2020, so the certified stones in circulation are all there will be, and jewellers and collectors compete for them, especially for matched small goods.

Can I view Argyle pink diamonds in Toronto?

Yes. Viewings are by appointment at 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, Toronto. Each stone can be examined with its Argyle certificate and GIA report, and the inscription checked under magnification.

Did Argyle produce colours other than pink?

Yes. Argyle produced the champagne and cognac browns that made up most of its coloured output, rare reds, and violet and blue stones graded as blue violet. The browns were sold on Argyle's own C1 to C7 scale.

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