What an Argyle diamond is

The Argyle mine sat in the East Kimberley in Western Australia and produced for thirty-seven years. It was the source of the overwhelming majority of the world’s pink diamonds — the accepted industry figure is more than ninety per cent — and its stones are distinct enough that the mine’s name is used as a description of the colour itself.

The mine closed in 2020

Rio Tinto ceased production at Argyle in November 2020. Nothing further will come out of the ground there.

What that means in practice is simple, and it is not a sales argument: the supply of Argyle pink diamonds is now closed, and every stone in the market is a stone that was already above ground before the mine shut. Their scarcity is a matter of arithmetic rather than of fashion.

Grading and certification

Pink diamonds are graded on the intensity of the colour, not on the absence of it. Under the international fancy-colour scale the grades run Faint, Very Light, Light, Fancy Light, Fancy, Fancy Intense, Fancy Deep and Fancy Vivid.

Argyle stones carry their own notation in addition: a hue code — PP purplish pink, P pink, PR pink rosé, PC pink champagne — with an intensity number from 1 to 9, where 1 is the strongest. A stone described as 3PP is a purplish pink of high intensity.

How the house selects

Stones are personally selected by Mike and Panos Levendi, and are chosen before the design exists.

These stones are not selected to fit a design. Instead, they are the origin of it. From that moment, the jewel takes its direction from the stone itself. Every line is considered, every proportion resolved, to reveal its light, its intensity, its true character.

Setting a pink diamond

A pink stone is usually small and always precious, and both facts govern how it is set. Claw and bezel work is cut to keep as much of the stone open to the light as the setting will safely allow, and the surrounding metal is chosen to hold the colour rather than compete with it.

The workshop sets pink diamonds as a centre stone, as accent stones alongside white diamonds, and in the Argyle Essence pieces in the collection.

Viewing by appointment

Pink diamonds are held in the safe and are shown by appointment, one client at a time, so the stone can be seen under proper light and against the metal you are considering.

Bring any certificate you already hold if you are having an existing pink stone reset.