Comparing Recent Auction Results for Argyle Pink Diamonds and Argyle Pink Diamond Tender Diamonds: A Look at Value & Color
First State Auctions, an Australian jewellery auction house, was featured recently in B2B jewelry trade magazines that left us curious about the pre-sale promotion and the final selling prices in its August auction.
As advertised, there was an Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender stone up for auction, the 0.94 carat radiant cut Fancy Intense Pink (6P) seen here in its Tender presentation box from 2021 – the last of the famous Argyle Pink Diamond Tenders. You will notice that the other pink diamonds in this auction (many seen below) were not from the Tender.
The Argyle Pink Diamonds Tenders were silent bid auctions where only 40 to 60 diamonds, the exceptional diamonds from the past year’s production, would be packaged, displayed, and sold.
Argyle Mine Diamonds
The diamonds seen here below are all beautiful, and from the famous Argyle diamond mine in western Australia, but because of their brownish primary or secondary color (sometimes described as Champagne), their values are quite different from the Tender stones. For example, the Tender diamond above, the 0.94 carat Fancy Intense Pink, had a three quarter million dollar (AUD) estimated selling price. Lot #8 below, a 1.00 carat radiant cut, graded Deep Brownish-Pink (2BP), sold for AUD$180,000, just one quarter of what the Tender stone was valued.
[Note: While the 0.94 carat Fancy Intense Pink did not sell, this does not mean that the diamond is not worth the estimated selling price. AUD$500,000/carat to AUD$1 million/carat is very common for a Tender stone. It simply means that it was not its time to be sold. It will be back. – gr]
All that said, even though the value of the diamonds below do not match up to a Tender diamond, they are still all quite rare and valuable. To make the point, compare Lot #8 to any colorless diamond and you will find that the Deep Brownish-Pink’s value will eclipse that of a colorless diamond of similar shape, quality, and size.
Now, let’s look at some of the auction offerings, all Argyle diamonds that sold. Values can be hard to compare unless one knows the price per carat. We have calculated those values as well as given you the US dollar value. – gr
Lot 8, a loose 1.00 carat square radiant-cut diamond, graded 2BP, Deep Brownish-Pink.
BP, or Brownish Pink, is a color notation that Argyle no longer uses. Those grades have been changed to PR, Pink Rosé (more pink than brown). Pinkish-Brown is covered by the color nomenclature of PC, Pink Champagne (more brown than pink).
Sold: AUD$180,000 [AUD$180,000/ct. – US$120,000/ct.]
Lot 45, a matched pair of loose round brilliants, graded 6PR and 7PR, fancy deep/intense Pink Rosé.
Total weight of the pair, 0.20 ct. [approx. 0.10 ct. each]
Sold: AUD$13,750 [AUD$69,000/ct. – US$46,000/ct.]
Lot 82, a 0.33 ct. round brilliant PC3, fancy deep pink champagne (fancy deep pinkish-brown.).
Sold: AUD$7,400 [AUD$22,500/ct. – US$15,000/ct.]
Lot 99, a loose 0.50 ct. radiant cut 4BP, Fancy (Intense) Brownish-Pink
Sold: AUD$22,500 [AUD$45,000/ct. – US$30,000/ct.]
Lot 37, a loose 1.14 ct. emerald cut, graded PC2, fancy deep Pink Rosé (Pinkish-Brown).
Sold: AUD$30,500 [AUD$27,000/ct. – US$18,000/ct.]
Lot 17, a 1.14 ct. round brilliant Deep Pink Rosé Argyle diamond (3PR) sold for AUD$170,000. Pink Rosé would be graded in a range from slightly pinkish-brown (more brown than pink) to pink-brown (roughly an “equal” amount of pink and brown, leaning just a bit towards brown). A 3 in saturation is quite saturated and borders the intense and vivid, deep and dark saturation grade ranges.
Sold: AUD$170,000 [AUD$150,000/ct. – US$100,000/ct.]
Other Argyle diamonds include:
Lot 170, a loose 0.34 ct. round brilliant, graded 7PP, fancy Purplish-Pink.
Sold: AUD$13,250 [AUD$39,000/ct. – US$26,000/ct.]
Lot 177, a 0.41 ct. light pink rose (Fancy Brown-Pink – GIA report) cut cornered square mixed cut.
Sold: AUD$5,000 [AUD$12,000/ct. – US$8,000/ct.]
and Lot 241, a loose Argyle 0.19 ct fancy “deep blue”, “deep violetish blue,” pear shape brilliant.
[Let’s just say we cannot always count on the image to color grade a gem.]
Sold: AUD$16,500 [AUD$87,000/ct.. – US$59,000/ct.]
Wow! $60,000/ct. for a 19 pointer! (It’s all about color!)
