Guilty: Deloitte Director Bought Pink Diamonds on Company Credit Card

Melbourne, Australia – County court building

A former director of the Deloitte auditing company in Australia has admitted claiming almost AUD 2.8m ($1.8m) in fraudulent work expenses to buy pink diamonds, high-end art and other luxuries.

Paul Quill, 45, used his corporate credit card to make the purchases from 2016 to 2022, passing some of them off as payments for stationary, postage, photocopying and court fees. He admitted two counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception.

The County Court of Victoria, in Melbourne, heard last Thursday (27 March) that among the sums stolen was AUD 682,587 ($429,000) from Joe Gutnick’s Merlin Diamonds, the mining company that was wound up in 2020 after a series of losses.

The court heard that Quill lost control after the breakdown of a relationship. He will be sentenced on 15 April.

He was dismissed in 2022 after his crime was revealed during a routine audit. Deloitte said at the time that it would make sure all clients were repaid in full.

Source: IDEX

Red and Pink Diamonds Lead Sotheby’s Sale

A 16.73 carat very light pink diamond is expected to sell for CHF 1.1m to CHF 1.8m ($1.3m to $2m) in Sotheby’s Geneva Magnificent Jewels Sale.

Another highlight of the sale, which features many colored diamonds, is a 1.44 carat fancy red diamond (the rarest of all diamond colors) from Australia’s iconic Argyle mine.

They’ll be offered for sale next week (13 November) in a live auction of 88 lots, including pieces by Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany, Bulgari and JAR, spanning 250 years of jewelry history.

The pink diamond is claw-set in a ring, VVS1-clarity, natural color with a brilliant cut. The red diamond is also claw-set in a ring, with a cut-cornered rectangular mixed cut, together with an Argyle mine presentation case.

“The sale is a celebration of exceptional craftsmanship, with signed jewels from the most esteemed makers of the 20th century,” says Sotheby’s. The sale also offers a number of coloured diamonds of outstanding quality and size, within the rarest of colors.”

Source: IDEX

Rio Tinto buys back famed Argyle pink and red diamonds for latest tender due to dwindling stockpile

A select few with deep pockets are rolling into Perth to snap up the latest collection of Argyle diamonds, as unsold inventory of the ultra-rare gems whittles down to a “teaspoon”.

A top secret location in the CBD this week will host prospective buyers from Australia and overseas vying for 76 polished pink, red, and other coloured diamonds — predominantly unearthed at Rio Tinto’s shuttered Argyle mine in the east Kimberley region.

Argyle operated for 37 years up until 2020, and about 95 per cent of the world’s circulation of pink and red diamonds can be traced back to the mine.

Each carat of an Argyle pink or red can easily fetch a multi-million-dollar sum. Earlier this year a 1.56ct Argyle red sold for $US4.3 million ($6.4m) in Geneva, equating to $US2.7m a carat. One of the pinks in the latest collection weighs 2.63ct.

But not all of the famed gems sold are destined for an extravagant jewellery piece, with many opting to keep their purchase locked away in a vault as an investment.

“We have seen double digit price growth year on year for the past 20 years . . . and we seeing demand continue unabated for these stones,” Rio Tinto diamond sales and business development manager Michelle Sherring told The West Australian.

“The constrained supply means the value of pink diamonds has eclipsed any kind of comparable equity indices, like the Dow Jones and Hang Seng et cetera, over the years.”

Since mining ceased at Argyle Rio has touted each of its annual tenders for the diamonds as being one of the last.

“We now have a mere teaspoon (of unsold Argyle pinks and reds) remaining within our own inventory,” Ms Sherring said.

Stockpiles are now so low that for the first time ever the collection includes diamonds Rio has bought back from customers.

“Including the secondary market is a new concept for this year, we have very strong relationships with our long running customers,” Ms Sheering said.

“So I approached a handful of them at the beginning of the year in terms of the concept and we have over these years understood where some of the important diamonds sit and which safes they might be held in.

“It was a process of curation, and ultimately, what we have is a set of seven round diamonds which represent the real pinnacle of rarity.”

Of the 76 stones in the latest collection, 74 are from Argyle — the pink, red and blue diamonds — while the remaining two are a yellow and white diamond sourced from Rio’s Daivik mine in Canada.

Rio is displaying the collection — comprising 48 separate lots and weighing a combined 39.44 carats — on an invite-only basis in Perth, London, Singapore and Belgium. Bids for the tender will close on November 18.

Murray Rayner, who was previously the chief geologist for Argyle Diamonds, last year told The West that the existence of Argyle’s pink diamonds was due to a “fluke of nature” that will be extremely difficult to replicate.

Mr Rayner said the pink diamonds emerged around 1.8 billion years ago when the Kimberley collided into Australia, bringing pink diamonds closer to the Earth’s surface.

These pink diamonds were originally created at one point three billion years ago when our planet’s once-connected continents began to rip apart, with the intense pressure from this event causing the pink colouration in the diamonds.

“To find another deposit would be an extraordinarily rare event in its own right, we’ve looked over the last few decades without any success,” he said.

Source: DCLA

Perth Mint continues luxury diamond coin series with turtle

The Perth Mint continues its Jewelled series of coins with a 10 ounce gold Jewelled Turtle coin with a mintage of eight coins.

And it comes with a price tag of $269,000 Australian ($182,229 U.S.).

This is the seventh release in the Jewelled series. It features a handset rare trademarked Argyle Pink Diamond and lustrous white diamonds that form the head and limbs of the three dimensional 18 karat gold turtle.

Each Jewelled Turtle coin is a Proof 10 ounce .9999 fine gold $2,500 denominated coin, with the centerpiece the 18-karat gold sea turtle surrounded by depictions of coral and dory fish.

The turtle’s head and limbs are embellished with 52 white diamonds, and two emeralds for its eyes. Additional white diamonds are set in a ribbon shaped line symbolizing the sea surface, with an Argyle Pink Diamond set at the heart of a stylized sun.

The Jewelled Series is developed each year in association with John Glajz, a Singapore based Argyle Pink Diamonds Icon Partner.

Each Jewelled Turtle coin is presented in a luxury display case adorned with 18 karat gold furnishings and inset with two Argyle Pink Diamond.

For the first time in the series, the coin bears the Dan Thorne effigy of King Charles III, as well as the P125 privy mark for the Perth Mint’s 125th anniversary.

Source: Coinworld

One of the Last Argyle Pinks Leads Online Auction

A loose 0.94 carat Argyle Pink – one of the last recovered from the iconic mine in Western Australia – is being sold at auction.

It is the highlight of a 416-lot online event (ending 11 August), featuring many items that belonged to Graham Jackson, former owner of Loloma Jewellers, located in Townsville, Australia, who died aged 92 in May.

The cushion cut fancy intense VS1 gem is designated as 6P – 6/10 for intensity of hue and P for pink as the dominant hue.

It was sold at the 2021 Argyle Pink Tender-Rio Tinto’s Final Collection, the last tender from the mine, which closed in November 2020 after 37 years, during which it produced 90 per cent of the world’s pink diamonds.

The stone is being sold by Sydney-based First State Auctions, with an estimate of AUD$700,000 to AUD$800,000 (US$455,000 to U$520,000).

Last January Tiffany & Co. has bought a parcel of 35 Argyle pinks – from 0.35 carats to 1.52 carats – for “select clients”.

Source: DCLA

Fancy Color Diamond Prices: First Drop in Almost Four Years

Fancy yellow cushion cut diamond

The Index tracking fancy color diamond prices fell during the last quarter, for the first time in almost four years.

The Fancy Color Diamond Index, which monitors pricing data for of all sizes and intensities of fancy color diamonds, fell by 0.7 per cent during Q2 2024, according to an update published yesterday (30 July) by the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF).

The last recorded fall was back in Q3 2020 – in the depths of the Covid crisis – when the Index also fell by 0.7 per cent. That came after two quarters when sales were too slow for the FCRF to produce figures at all.

The trend over the last year or so has been of slower growth. The Index was up 1.3 per cent in Q1 2023, followed by +0.5 per cent (Q2); +0.4 per cent (Q3); +0.1 per cent (Q4) and +0.1 per cent (Q1 2024).

The New York-based FCRF played down the Q2 dip, describing it as “a minor fluctuation when compared to broader market movements”.

It said in a statement: “This stability is particularly evident relative to the sharper declines in the white diamond market and the Dow Jones index, which fell by 3.6 per cent and 1.7 per cent respectively during the same period.

Yellow diamonds (all sizes, all intensities) suffered the biggest drop, down 1.7 per cent. Pinks and blues were both down 0.3 per cent.

The FCRF said its Index had enjoyed an overall increase of 211 per cent since it began compiling data in 2005. During that time it said the price of yellow diamonds had risen by 56 per cent, pinks by 398 per cent and blues by 248 per cent.

Source: DCLA

Phillips Showcases $15M Pink Diamond at Second Geneva Auction

A 6.21-carat pink diamond will be the star of the second jewelry auction Phillips will hold in Geneva, where it is expected to fetch up to CHF 13.6 million ($15 million).

The fancy-vivid-pink, VS1-clarity, type IIa diamond ring is among several important and rare pieces on offer at the sale, called Geneva Jewels Auction: Two, which will take place on May 13, Phillips said Tuesday. The auction will be at the Hotel President Geneva for the first time, and it will include over 100 specially curated items from well-knowns design houses such as Cartier, JAR, Suzanne Belperron, and Van Cleef & Arpels.

Prior to the sale, Phillips will exhibit the jewels in New York; London; Taipei, Taiwan; and Singapore. The auction house will also hold a simultaneous selling exhibition called “Symbols, Colour and Form,” which will feature jewels from contemporary designers Alix Dumas and DYNE.

Here are the rest of the of the top five items Phillips will feature at the main sale:

This 280.84-carat Colombian emerald is from a private collection. Known as The Amazon Queen, it carries an estimate of CHF 1.4 million to CHF 2.4 million ($1.5 million to $2.6 million).

A 27.27-carat, fancy-vivid-yellow diamond ring will also go under the hammer. It is expected to bring in between CHF 1 million and CHF 1.8 million ($1.1 million to $2 million).

A pair of earrings set with pear-shaped, D-flawless, type IIa diamonds weighing 10.07 and 10.12 carats has a presale price range of CHF 1.2 million to CHF 1.6 million ($1.3 million to $1.8 million).

Phillips will offer this brilliant-cut, 1.56-carat, fancy-red Argyle diamond at the Geneva auction. Named The Argyle Phoenix, it is estimated at CHF 910,000 to CHF 1.4 million ($1 million to $1.5 million).

Source: DCLA

Rio Tinto to Hold Tender of 87 Fancy-Colored Diamonds

Rio Tinto has launched the Beyond Rare Tender, an inaugural collection of 48 lots of polished fancy-colored diamonds.

The miner will offer 87 diamonds in total, including its legacy inventory of pink and red stones from the shuttered Argyle diamond mine in Australia and yellow diamonds from its Diavik site in Canada, it said on Tuesday.

The new collection is “a testimony to the ongoing demand for highly collectible natural diamonds,” said Sinead Kaufman, chief executive of Rio Tinto Minerals. “This carefully curated collection of rare jewels will be in strong demand by the world’s finest jewelers, collectors and diamond connoisseurs.”

Titled The Art Series, the invitation-only tender is inspired by the art world, the company said. The combined weight of the diamonds is 29.96 carats.

They include the following:

• Seven diamonds consisting of Argyle pink stones and yellow Diavik ones, which the company says will be accompanied by bespoke artwork.
• An offering of 11 matched pairs of colored diamonds.
• Thirty single diamonds, including one distinctive fancy-red Argyle diamond.

The closure of the Argyle mine in Australia and the continued strong demand for exceptional fancy pink and red diamonds means the market for Argyle pink and red diamonds “have never been stronger,” said Patrick Coppens, general manager of sales and marketing for Rio Tinto’s diamonds business.

The 48 lots will be shown in Australia, Switzerland and Belgium, with bids closing on November 20.

Source: DCLA

Pink Diamonds Erupted to Earth’s Surface after Early Supercontinent’s Breakup

Western Australia’s Argyle mine was among nature’s preeminent treasure troves for nearly 40 years. At its peak, Argyle produced more coloured diamonds than anywhere else on Earth and earned an especially sparkling reputation for its unparalleled cache of pink diamonds.

Researchers have spent decades trying to unravel the origins of Argyle’s glimmering gems. Now, by dating minerals in the mine’s volcanic rock, scientists think they may have finally pieced together the process that created the deposit around 1.3 billion years ago. In a paper published on Tuesday in Nature Communications, the team posits that the breakup of an early supercontinent lifted Argyle’s salmon-coloured stones from crushing depths toward Earth’s surface.

Located 2,200 kilometers northeast of Perth, Australia, in the country’s rugged Kimberley region, Argyle mine once covered an area the size of 94 football fields. Between its opening in 1983 and closure in 2020, when mining the gems there was no longer economically viable, Argyle produced more than 865 million carats of rough diamonds. Most of these stones come in pale shades of yellow or brown. But a small percentage of the site’s diamonds radiate rich pinks, purples or reds. More than 90 percent of the world’s pink diamond supply including the nearly 13 carat Pink Jubilee has come from Argyle.

The pink hue of Argyle’s most lavish diamonds is linked to damage they underwent deep within the earth. According to Hugo Olierook, a geologist at Curtin University in Perth and lead author of the new study, these diamonds start out colourless. But immense tectonic pressure from colliding continents can alter the stones’ crystal structure, unlocking the potential colours hidden within. “The diamonds are being forced to bend and twist,” Olierook says. “If they’re twisted just a little bit, it will turn some of these diamonds pink.” Further twisting makes them become brown.

Argyle’s diamonds took on their pink and brown tints around 1.8 billion years ago, when a piece of what is now western Australia smashed into the northern Australian plate and warped the region’s rock. But this only explains part of Argyle’s origin story. When the continents collided, the area’s diamonds were buried in the mantle, hundreds of kilometers below Earth’s surface. If the crystals had been closer to the surface, their carbon atoms would have been compressed into a different structure, transforming them from shimmering diamonds to lumps of dark gray graphite.

A volcano was necessary to bring the molten diamonds up from our planet’s mantle. “You need some sort of tectonic trigger to bring them up to the surface,” Olierook says. As the melt rises, carbon dioxide and steam expand, sparking an eruption that he compares to popping a champagne cork. At Argyle, this eruption likely occurred at a beach, where sand and seawater interacted with volcanic rock called lamproite.

To determine when the eruption occurred, the team sliced two thin sections of Argyle’s volcanic rock and polished them down to a minuscule width. Analyzing the sample’s mineral makeup under a microscope, the researchers were able to pinpoint sand grains from Argyle’s ancient beach and to date them with the help of radioactive elements they contained. By dating the youngest sand grains, the scientists were able to estimate when the beach was buried in lava. They also used tiny lasers to determine the ages of titanite minerals, which formed in the rock when the magma melded with quartz in the beach sand.

Comparing the ages of the youngest sand grains and the oldest titanite crystals allowed the researchers to estimate that the eruption at Argyle occurred between 1.3 billion and 1.26 billion years ago. This age range was older than previous estimates, which surprised Olierook and his colleagues. “We had a betting pool going, and nobody got 1,300 million years,” he says. “That was one of those glass shattering moments.”

That eruption timing corresponds to a volatile period in Earth’s tectonic history when one of the first supercontinents, called Nuna, was splintering apart. The team posits that this instability may have reopened a seam along the continental boundary where Argyle is now situated. This in turn sparked the volcanic activity that brought the diamond-bearing melt toward the surface, creating Argyle’s expansive diamond deposits.

The new time estimates add crucial context for understanding the volcanic eruption at Argyle, says Evan Smith, a researcher at the Gemological Institute of America, who researches the geology of diamonds but was not involved in the new study. “The previous age constraint for Argyle was younger, and it was a lot less clear how to frame the eruption in a broader geological context,” Smith says. He thinks the new study adds exciting evidence that these “eruptions are related to bigger processes that affect whole continents rather than being isolated, random burps of magma.”

Olierook thinks similar events may have occurred at other continental boundaries around the world. Most diamond-bearing deposits are found in the middle of continental plates where rock is exposed. This makes Argyle an outlier. When the mine was first discovered, most geologists thought that searching for diamonds along continental plate boundaries which are often uplifted by ancient mountain belts and buried beneath soil and sand was futile.

Though gem mining in these regions remains difficult, Olierook believes there are plenty of diamonds to be found in the rough. “I think all of them will host some sort of coloured diamonds,” he says. “They may all be brown, but with a little bit of luck, there could be a few pinks in there.”

Source: Jack Tamisiea Scientificamerican

Tiffany’s tickled pink to be grabbing the world’s last Argyle diamonds

“This is truly once in a lifetime,” says the jeweller’s chief gemologist of the 35 sparklers acquired from the now-closed mine in the Kimberley.

Vicky Reynolds wants to take you on a date with a diamond.

Reynolds, Tiffany & Co’s chief gemologist, has had the enviable task of chaperoning the final 35 Argyle diamonds sold around the world, meeting with potential buyers and discussing exactly how these incredibly rare and exceptional gemstones will be used.

It is, she says, “the stuff my dreams are made of. This is truly once in a lifetime.”

Reynolds has worked with New York-based Tiffany & Co since 1987 – almost as long as the Argyle diamond mine, owned by Rio Tinto, operated in Western Australia’s East Kimberley region (it opened in 1983). When the mine closed in 2020 due to finite resources, the final annual tender – ordinarily a highly anticipated and prestigious event on the gemstone calendar – was considered the hottest ticket going.

The Argyle mine produced 90 per cent of the world’s pink diamonds, and each year, only 50 to 60 were ever offered in an invitation-only tender process. So when Rio Tinto rang Reynolds after the tender, to offer Tiffany and Co a further 35 diamonds noted for their vivid pink and purple colour, she jumped at the chance.

Source: DCLA

 Rio Tinto unveils Argyle Rose heirloom piece

Rio Tinto has unveiled the latest heirloom piece of Argyle Pink Diamonds jewellery, featuring one of the last diamonds to be mined from the iconic Argyle mine in the East Kimberley, Western Australia.

Mining ended at Argyle in November 2020, after 37 years of uninterrupted production, during which the mine became the source of about 90% of the world’s prized rose-to-magenta hued stones. The mine produced more than 865 million carats of rough diamonds.

Designed by Western Australian jeweller Solid Gold Diamonds, the Argyle Rose features a total of 3.25 carats of rare Argyle pink and blue diamonds encrusted in a rose motif, surrounded by white diamonds and hand-set in platinum and 18 karat gold.

The heart of this piece is an extremely rare 1.36 carat, Fancy Deep Pink radiant cut diamond. It is just one of twelve radiant cut diamonds over one carat with a colour grading, 1P, from the last 30 years of production from Argyle.

The surrounding petaled design of pink and blue Argyle Diamonds totals 1.89 carats, together with 2.80 carats of white diamonds. The Argyle Rose is for sale at Solid Gold Diamonds in Perth for A$2 million.

“I am delighted to launch the Argyle Rose. Encapsulating a rich history and an extraordinary provenance, it is both a contemporary treasure and an heirloom for tomorrow,” Sinead Kaufman, Chief Executive of Rio Tinto Minerals said in a statement.

“These rare and precious diamonds are one and a half billion years old, from one of the most beautiful places on earth, and the world is simply not producing them anymore.”

Source: DCLA

How rare are fancy coloured diamonds and will the price increase

Argyle pink diamonds are extremely rare and highly sought-after, making them some of the most valuable diamonds in the world. The Argyle diamond mine in Western Australia is the primary source of pink diamonds, and it is estimated that only 0.01% of the diamonds recovered from the mine are pink in colour, with an even smaller percentage being of the highest quality.

The Argyle mine ceased operations in 2020, which has led to speculation that the prices of pink diamonds, including argyle pink diamonds, may increase in the coming years. With the mine no longer producing new stones, the limited supply of these rare diamonds is expected to drive up demand and prices. However, like any investment, it’s important to carefully consider market trends and consult with a qualified professional before making any decisions.

The largest pink argyle diamond found to date is the Argyle Pink Jubilee, which was discovered at the Argyle mine in Western Australia in 2011. The diamond weighs 12.76 carats and is a vivid pink colour, making it one of the largest and most valuable pink diamonds ever found. The Pink Jubilee was cut and polished over a period of ten months, during which time the rough diamond was studied and analyzed extensively to determine the best way to bring out its natural beauty and maximize its value. The diamond was sold at auction in 2013 for an undisclosed sum, but it is believed to have fetched a record-breaking price per carat for a pink diamond.

Red diamonds are extremely rare, even more so than pink diamonds. It is estimated that only a handful of natural red diamonds are found each year, and most of them are less than half a carat in size. Red diamonds are so rare that many jewelers and gemologists may go their entire careers without ever seeing one.

The red colour in diamonds is caused by the presence of a rare mineral which causes “graining,”, This occurs when the crystal structure of the diamond is distorted during its formation. The graining causes the diamond to absorb green light and reflect red light, resulting in a beautiful and distinctive red hue.
Because of their rarity, red diamonds are among the most valuable and expensive gemstones in the world. They are highly sought-after by collectors and investors, and prices for top-quality stones can reach millions of dollars per carat at auction.

Blue diamonds are also quite rare, but not as rare as pink or red diamonds. Blue diamonds account for only about 0.02% of all diamonds mined worldwide. The blue colour in diamonds is caused by the presence of trace amounts of boron during their formation, which causes the diamond to absorb red, yellow, and green light, resulting in a blue hue.

Blue diamonds are highly prized for their unique colour and rarity, and they can command very high prices at auction. The value of a blue diamond depends on a variety of factors, including its size, colour intensity, clarity, and overall quality. Blue diamonds range in colour from pale blue to vivid blue, with the most valuable stones being those with a deep, rich blue colour.

One of the most famous blue diamonds is the Hope Diamond, which is a 45.52-carat blue diamond that is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s collection of natural history specimens.

The most expensive diamond ever sold is the Pink Star, a 59.60-carat oval-cut pink diamond that was sold for $71.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong in 2017. The diamond, which is the largest internally flawless fancy vivid pink diamond ever graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), was mined in Africa in 1999 and took two years to cut and polish.

The Pink Star was originally sold at auction in 2013 for a record-breaking $83 million, but the sale was later cancelled after the buyer defaulted on the payment. The diamond was put back up for auction in 2017 and sold to a jewelry retailer in Hong Kong for $71.2 million, setting a new world record for the most expensive diamond ever sold at auction.

Yellow diamonds are not as rare as pink, red, or blue diamonds, but they are still considered rare and highly prized. Yellow diamonds are formed when nitrogen atoms are trapped in the crystal lattice structure of the diamond during its formation, causing it to absorb blue light and reflect yellow light.

The intensity of the yellow colour in a diamond can vary widely, ranging from a pale yellow or light lemon colour to a deep, intense yellow. The most valuable yellow diamonds are those with a deep, rich colour that is evenly distributed throughout the stone.

Yellow diamonds are mined in various parts of the world, including South Africa, Australia, and Canada. While yellow diamonds are not as rare as some other coloured diamonds, high-quality yellow diamonds can still command very high prices at auction, especially those with a large carat weight and intense colour.

Orange diamonds are considered rare and highly valuable. The orange colour in diamonds is caused by the presence of nitrogen and other impurities in the crystal lattice structure of the diamond, which absorb blue and green light, resulting in an orange hue.

Orange diamonds can range in colour from pale orange to a deep, vivid orange, with the most valuable stones being those with a pure and intense colour. Orange diamonds are not as commonly found as white or yellow diamonds and are considered much rarer than brown or gray diamonds.

The most famous orange diamond is the Pumpkin Diamond, a 5.54-carat fancy vivid orange diamond that was mined in South Africa. The Pumpkin Diamond was sold at auction in 1997 for over $1.3 million, and it is now part of the collection at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

Source: Michael Cohen DCLA

Investor uncertainty in challenging market

 It’s hard to believe that COVID first hit just over three years ago.

After the original shock that the pandemic caused, especially when lockdowns were put in place in large parts of the world in early 2020, markets, rather than continuing to crash, instead surged higher.

Stimulus programs from both central banks and central governments, which were enormous in scope, were the primary cause of this surge, with the vast quantity of dollars fed into the system leading to one of the biggest rallies in the share market, cryptocurrencies, and even real estate on record.

Since late 2021 it’s been tough going though, with the last twelve or so months particularly challenging for most investors.

Many seemingly don’t know what to do, with survey data suggesting many are stuck in terms of ideas, a subject we discuss below.

There are however always a select group of investors who do get ahead of the curve, recognise changing patterns for what they are, and act accordingly.

We think pink diamond investors fit that mould, and despite the current economic climate and investor hesitance, we’ve seen a continued appetite for pink diamonds first hand.

This is something we expect to see continue across the course of this year, as more and more investors seek exposure to this niche asset class, which has proved quite lucrative for many.

Investor uncertainty in challenging market

In early February, we read an interesting report containing six insights into the way Australians invested their money in 2022.

As we alluded to in the introduction to this week’s update, last year was very challenging for investors, with stock markets plunging quite rapidly at one point (on this note, while the Australian market fell, it fared better than most), cryptocurrencies falling by more than 50% in most cases, and even real estate turning south, with the Australian property market now on track to see its biggest decline in decades.

We also saw the return of inflation, which soared beyond 5%, and in some developed countries beyond 10%, in the fastest pace of consumer price rises seen in decades.

What did investors do in response?

Turns out much of the same, with the following chart showing that despite a few tweaks, they kept investing money in pretty much the same way they always have.

Trend: Allocation of new client inflows

In the last year, roughly what proportion of the new client inflows you advised on went into each category? Averages among financial advisers.

Source: Investment Trends 2022 Managed Accounts Report – Investment Trends.

The only notable change looking at this, and other data in the article was an influx of money into fixed income and cash ETFs, presumably due to the higher interest rates that started to flow through across 2022.

While that’s understandable, given rising inflation, those cash and fixed income assets also lost value last year, failing to act as a safe haven in any meaningful way.

The only investors that thrived last year were those who looked through the conventional wisdom on how to invest (i.e. keep nearly all your money in stocks, bonds and real estate), and instead sought out alternative assets, which can continue to thrive in more difficult environments.

Pink diamonds were obviously one such asset, with prices continuing their steady performance all of last year, helped by the continued focus that this asset class has generated since the closure of the Argyle mine in late 2020.

With prices up more than 50% in the last two years, they are one of the few assets that have prospered throughout the entire COVID era and its aftermath, with strong supply/demand fundamentals set to support pink diamond prices, in 2023 and beyond.

Interest rates continue to climb

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) met for the first time earlier this week, and as most analysts expected, they raised interest rates by 0.25%.

The increase, which marks the ninth meeting in a row that they’ve increased rates, with the official cash rate now sitting at 3.35%.

They likely have a way to go too, with the RBA at pains to point out that higher rates will likely be required to contain inflation rates which continue to surprise to the upside.

Indeed, some commentators now think that the RBA will continue to hike for most of the year, with the cash rate likely to climb beyond 4% before peaking, which will only exacerbate the pain felt by a lot of mortgage holders sitting on large debt piles.

This pain is beginning to show up in both soft and hard economic data, with retail sales now falling, while consumer confidence in Australia is plunging.

It’s also worth noting that given current inflation levels, even if the RBA does hike rates to 4%, the ‘real’ return (i.e. the rate one earns after inflation) on cash is likely to remain negative, for the foreseeable future at least.

This should help be bullish for investment demand for alternative assets, especially with home prices falling, and the share-market struggling.

Pink diamonds are set to be a particular beneficiary of this trend, as indeed they have been for some time, given their extremely limited supply, their strong performance track record, and their inflation hedging qualities, with all of these factors regularly coming up in the conversations that the team at Australian Diamond Portfolio have with our wonderful client base on an ongoing basis.

As always, we hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s edition of “In the Loupe” and we look forward to any questions or comments you may have.

Source: DiamondPortfolio 

Rio Tinto's Unique $1.24m Midnight Sun Diamond Ring

 Rio Tinto’s Unique $1.24m Midnight Sun Diamond Ring

                Midnight Sun Diamond Ring

Pink and yellow diamonds from two iconic Rio Tinto mines – Argyle and Diavik – have been brought together to create a unique ring.

It’s called Diavik Midnight Sun and has been valued at $1.24m.

An 18.08 carat fancy intense yellow oval diamond from Diavik, in sub-Arctic Canada, contrasts with an intricate setting of rare Argyle pink diamonds, from the now-closed mine in in the remote East Kimberley region of Western Australia, weighing 4.09 carats in total.

The yellow diamond was cut from a 36.75-ct rough gem, described as one of the finest large yellow diamonds uncovered at Diavik.

Rio Tinto’s general manager of sales and marketing for its diamonds business, Patrick Coppens said “This combination of a rare yellow Diavik diamond and Argyle Pink Diamonds, the rarest diamonds in the world, is a special moment in the history of Rio Tinto’s unique place in the natural fancy coloured diamond industry.

He paid tribute to luxury jeweler Musson for creating the ring. The Diavik Midnight Sun takes its inspiration from the exquisite natural phenomenon that occurs when the sun is seen at midnight in the Arctic, exhibiting beautiful golden and pink hues.

Source: DCLA

Rio Tinto Launches Business for Argyle Pinks

 Rio Tinto Launches Business for Argyle Pinks

Diamonds from Rio Tinto’s Argyle Pink Diamond Tender. 

Rio Tinto has debuted a new strategy that will enable it to “protect the provenance” of its Argyle pink diamonds, including a certification service and a concierge trading platform.

“This is the start of a new chapter for Argyle pink diamonds, to ensure they maintain their value and investment potential as a finite, unrepeatable natural resource and achieve the status of outstanding heritage diamonds,” Rio Tinto Minerals CEO Sinead Kaufman said last week.

The venture will also play host to a new Beyond Rare tender platform for special sales events, as well as several strategic collections and collaborations involving existing inventory and the secondary market.

One such venture, the Icon Partner program, will give jewelers licensing rights to use the Argyle Pink Diamonds brand for jewelry they create with any remaining inventory they previously purchased from the Argyle mine. The first two retailers Rio Tinto has authorized are John Calleija, the owner of Australian luxury-jewelry house Calleija, and Singapore-based Glajz THG, owned by John Glajz.

“The secondary market for Argyle pink diamonds comprises almost 40 years of rare, polished pink diamonds, together with heirloom pieces of jewelry, collectibles and objects,” the miner noted. “This market requires careful management to preserve the precious provenance of Argyle pink diamonds and continue the legacy of careful custody that underscores its rarity.

Source: DCLA

Final Argyle Pink Tender Sees Record Result

                            Argyle pink tender

Rio Tinto achieved record-breaking figures at its 2021 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender, with prices strong amid dwindling supply from the mine.

                        Once in a Blue Moon 

The Australian miner offered 70 rare pink and red diamonds at the last-ever edition of the tender, which follows Argyle’s closure in November 2020. The “historical” collection, called The Journey Beyond, comprised the final diamonds mined during the Western Australian deposit’s last year of operation, Rio Tinto said Thursday.

“The 2021 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender delivered a record-breaking price performance across individual diamonds and for the overall collection,” the company noted. “The diamonds were fiercely contested around the world in a series of virtual and face-to-face viewings.”

A total of 19 bidders from nine countries successfully acquired lots, with prices maintaining their upward trajectory, Rio Tinto explained. Australian jeweler Calleija bought several stones, including the Argyle Eclipse, a radiant-shaped, 3.47-carat, fancy-intense-pink diamond, and the Argyle Bohème, a radiant-shaped, 1.01-carat, fancy-red diamond.

A veteran bidder in Singapore took home both the Argyle Stella, a square radiant-shaped 1.79-carat, fancy-vivid-purplish-pink diamond, and the Argyle Solaris, a radiant-shaped, fancy-intense pink weighing 2.05 carats. Another, based in the US, won the Argyle Lumiere, a square radiant-shaped, 2.03-carat, fancy-deep-pink diamond.

Alongside the pink-diamond tender, Rio Tinto sold a record-breaking collection of 41 blue and violet diamonds from Argyle to a single buyer. Hong Kong fancy-color specialist Kunming Diamonds purchased the entire 24.88-carat lot in a “history-making global bid” at the separate Once in a Blue Moon tender, the miner said. The stones are the final blues to come from Argyle. Kunming also won nine pink lots.

“I don’t think it’s ever been so competitive, so mind-blowing in terms of how the prices have been, how much competition we faced, and there was a lot of emotional premium everyone added, as this was the ultimate tender,” Harsh Maheshwari, executive director of Kunming, told Rapaport News. “So I guess everyone felt that they would like to at least own a few tender stones while they had the opportunity.”

It’s rare for there to be so many successful bidders at the pink tender, Maheshwari noted. Usually, only half that number would take home diamonds.

“This basically shows how varied the prices must have been, and that these stones went to jewelers from all over the world,” Maheshwari added.  

Source: DCLA

Final Argyle Pink Tender Sees Record Result

                            Argyle pink tender

Rio Tinto achieved record-breaking figures at its 2021 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender, with prices strong amid dwindling supply from the mine.

                        Once in a Blue Moon 

The Australian miner offered 70 rare pink and red diamonds at the last-ever edition of the tender, which follows Argyle’s closure in November 2020. The “historical” collection, called The Journey Beyond, comprised the final diamonds mined during the Western Australian deposit’s last year of operation, Rio Tinto said Thursday.

“The 2021 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender delivered a record-breaking price performance across individual diamonds and for the overall collection,” the company noted. “The diamonds were fiercely contested around the world in a series of virtual and face-to-face viewings.”

A total of 19 bidders from nine countries successfully acquired lots, with prices maintaining their upward trajectory, Rio Tinto explained. Australian jeweler Calleija bought several stones, including the Argyle Eclipse, a radiant-shaped, 3.47-carat, fancy-intense-pink diamond, and the Argyle Bohème, a radiant-shaped, 1.01-carat, fancy-red diamond.

A veteran bidder in Singapore took home both the Argyle Stella, a square radiant-shaped 1.79-carat, fancy-vivid-purplish-pink diamond, and the Argyle Solaris, a radiant-shaped, fancy-intense pink weighing 2.05 carats. Another, based in the US, won the Argyle Lumiere, a square radiant-shaped, 2.03-carat, fancy-deep-pink diamond.

Alongside the pink-diamond tender, Rio Tinto sold a record-breaking collection of 41 blue and violet diamonds from Argyle to a single buyer. Hong Kong fancy-color specialist Kunming Diamonds purchased the entire 24.88-carat lot in a “history-making global bid” at the separate Once in a Blue Moon tender, the miner said. The stones are the final blues to come from Argyle. Kunming also won nine pink lots.

“I don’t think it’s ever been so competitive, so mind-blowing in terms of how the prices have been, how much competition we faced, and there was a lot of emotional premium everyone added, as this was the ultimate tender,” Harsh Maheshwari, executive director of Kunming, told Rapaport News. “So I guess everyone felt that they would like to at least own a few tender stones while they had the opportunity.”

It’s rare for there to be so many successful bidders at the pink tender, Maheshwari noted. Usually, only half that number would take home diamonds.

“This basically shows how varied the prices must have been, and that these stones went to jewelers from all over the world,” Maheshwari added.  

Source: DCLA