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| A 2.02 cts. Argyle Pink diamond. This round brilliant fancy vivid purplish pink diamond was the largest of the 55 Argyle Pink diamonds that were tendered in 2010. Photo by Gary Roskin |
They come from the land “down under.” Their singular source is a mine in a barren patch of Northwestern Australia. They are the Argyle Pink diamonds, among the rarest and most beautiful gems in the world.
Each year, Rio Tinto’s Argyle Diamond Mine produces 20 to 25 million carats of gem quality diamonds. Out of that bounty a relative handful of diamonds are good enough to be called “Tender Stones.” “These diamonds represent the true needles in the haystack,” according to gemologist Gary Roskin, in his story about the Argyle Pinks.
These diamonds are prized because of their deep, rich pink colors, which range from a light pink to almost red. Each year the diamonds considered good enough for tender go on a world tour of major cities where a select group of dealers can view the diamonds and bid on them. The dealers place private bids on the diamonds they want and go home and wonder if their bid was too high or low.
In 2010, 55 diamonds, ranging from 0.49 cts. to 2.02 cts. went on tour. As usual, when the diamonds came to New York, Roskin was the only person to view and photograph the diamonds for publication. He wrote all about it on his website, The Roskin Gem News Report, and provided lots of pictures, like the one above. In addition, he interviews a bidder and another professional who is an expert on color diamonds who attended the tender. Read all about it here.