Australian Diamond Portfolio is set to showcase a selection of the last pink diamonds to be unearthed in Australia before Rio Tinto closes the Argyle mine in Western Australia.

It is rumoured that final excavation at the Argyle mine will take place on November 2.

Sydney-based Australian Diamond Portfolio will curate a set of pink diamonds as part of The Legacy Collection, with affordable prices ranging from $1000 to $10,000.

Coveted for its distinctive colour and coupled with its rarity, the pink diamond is one of the most elusive gemstones in the world, according to Australian Diamond Portfolio.

“Unlike yellow diamonds, which comprise over 60 per cent of all fancy colour diamonds produced, natural pinks fall into the same category as blues and reds for their extreme rarity,” it added.

“… The richer the ‘pink’, the rarer and more valuable the stone. Nowhere else in the world can you find pinks with such character and depth of colour and vibrance of tone as those from the Argyle mine.

“Even if a new mine was to be discovered in the near future, it would still take a minimum 10-15 years to reach the actual stage of producing diamonds to sell.”

Australian Diamond Portfolio consultant and master diamond polisher David Burger said nobody could say for certain what exactly gave pink diamonds their stunning colour.

“Other diamonds get their colour from chemical impurities that absorb light, however, no similar impurities have been found in pink diamonds, leading scientists to speculate that the colour may be the result of some kind of seismic shock that altered the stone’s molecular structure instead,” he said.

The Legacy Collection will feature three shades of the Argyle pink diamonds, which are pink, purplish pink and pink rosé, with weights ranging from 0.08 to 0.14 carat.

A percentage of profits will be donated to the McGrath Foundation.

Source: DCLA