PP – Purple Pink

Still considerd a pure type colour being pink with varying tones of purple, this is possibly the most popular colour as is it a little stronger in visual colour for the grade, very beautiful and perfect for investment.

PR – Pink Rose

This colour describes diamonds that are predominantly pink or purple with slight yet attractive undertones of orange or brown. These diamond still exhibit considerably pink colour but can vary in appearance and are comparatively different to the pink or purple pink grades. They are an excellent choice for jewellery and collectors but investor must exercise selectivity with their choices.

PC – Pink Champagne

Still majority pink these diamonds feature a greater mix of brown or champagne to their appearance and are generally reserved for attractive but more affordable jewellery.

pRed – Purplish Red

A red diamond with a touch of purple, attractive additional tones and still undeniably rare but just not the singularity of colour found in a red diamond.

Red

The pinnacle of the diamond world, true red diamonds, only a tiny number of diamonds are ever given a pure fancy red grade from GIA. With a price to match the rarity of a red diamond is for very serious collectors only.

Violet

Often graded in the BL range as BL3, violet, takes the combination of conditions required to create both blue and pink in a single diamond. Appearance can vary greatly and include shades of grey but are a collectors dream aquisition.

BL – Blue

Natural blue diamond are created by the inclusion of boron in the crystal lattice, Australian blue diamonds are relatively similar in appearance to most other sources and often display a cool steely grey tone.

NCP (CP, CPE) – Near Colourless Pink

These diamonds are basically white with the finest hint of pink, but barely visible.

BP -Brown Pink

An older description for Pink Rose (changed because BP sounded less attractive) but still occasional refers to diamonds of equal strength of pink and brown.

Colour Saturation

P, PP, PR – Pink, Purple-Pink and Pink Rose, saturation is graded from 1-9 with 1 being the strongest saturation. Grades 1-3 represent the rarest and most elite colours. Gradeds 4-6 are more common, visually attractive pinks with a high value and grades 7-9 indicate very light tones of pink and should be evaluated carefully before purchase.

BL and PC

The Blue/ Blue Violet and Pink Champagne diamonds are graded 1-3 with 3 representing higher saturation, these grades have greater variation but require less specific grading.

Mini tender

There are generally two classes for mini tender diamonds, small diamonds with exceptional colour and rarity where the tender auction was beneficial and large size diamonds that were significant but not of a colour grade worthy of the major tender.

Major tender

The major tender was developed to showcase the most exceptional diamond from each years production from the Argyle diamond mine. These collections represented the biggest diamonds with the most stunning colours including Red, Violet, Blue, Pink, Purple Pink and Pink Rose diamonds. The prices achieved for the individual diamonds at auction are not publically released but it is well recognised that many were purchased at above their estimated market price just to secure them.

GIA vs Argyle colour grading

An Argyle diamond mine certificate will often be accompanied by a GIA diamond certificate which can provide additional support and enhance the value. The GIA will never override the Australian colour grading, but it will help confirm and sometimes improve the grading. It is important not to give higher importance to the GIA as it will often give a better, more pure grade to the colour. GIA grading is often more lenient with subtle secondary colours, greater variation within each grade and there is no exact method to classify how the Australian grade will compares to GIA as their systems are inherently different. There is really no issue with a diamond not having a GIA certificate but it certainly helps to improve or confirm the value.

Re-certified Diamonds

All diamonds released from the Argyle diamond mine have been colour graded and confirmed through certification and invoices provided through the chain of custody. Unfortunately, there are many circumstance where this information is lost over time, requiring new authentication. An experienced diamond grader can provide their best estimate of the original colour grade of a pink diamond, but it cannot be stated or verified in an external certificate. This further emphasises the importance of retaining original receipts of purchase and certificates for successful re-sale. Secondary Australian pink diamond certifiers can provide a detailed grading report and provide an origin verification.

Grading certification is required to assist dealers and buyers in confidently assessing the value of a diamond, reducing the need to view the diamond in person. However, within each grade there are variations with the attractiveness of the colour that plays a part in the final value making experts assistance highly recommended.

Clarity is graded with the same criteria as white diamonds and refers to amount of imperfections within a diamond. However, when diamond are coloured it often helps to mask the inclusions more effectively. Diamonds from the Argyle diamond mine are inherently included which is generally acceptable for jewellery but can be a more contencious issue for investment.

IF, VVS or even VS1 clarity diamonds are very rare and highly sought after by overseas buyers. The rarity means that the price is significantly higher and the sales target maket can be limited in the Australian market.

VS2 – SI2 is considered the standard clarity range for investment and quality jewellery diamonds in the Australian market offering the best value with minimal imperfections.

P1 – Pique or visibly included clarity diamonds are quite prevalent and are still generally visibly pleasing. They are priced lower and the investor demand has mixed opinions but as the size and colour increases a lower clariy is still considered quite acceptable.

P2-3 are diamonds that are heavily included, some of which cannot be concealed. Although some of these are still very attractive, their appearance require more consideration depending on their purpose.

Shape – Pink diamonds require great cutting skills to shape the rough crystal to maximise their size and colour saturation. Coloured diamonds are rarely cut to a round brilliant yet that is the expectation of most buyers. The majority of coloured diamonds above 0.20ct are cut into fancy shapes like oval and radiant cut which are more suitable for colour enhancement. Fancy shapes allow the cutters to extract the deepest colour and achieve the greatest weigh to achieve the best price. Round diamonds are always in high market demand and when possible they will be cut but often at the sacrifice of the size and colour to achieve the shape and therefore demand a much greater price.

Cut quality – Like all fancy colour diamonds the cut is more focused on extracting the greatest size and saturation from the rough crystal than achieving precision and brilliance. In the early stages of production some were less precise and sometimes a little unconventional, however, over time, the quality steadily improved with many diamonds exhibiting exceptional cutting tehniques.

It is important to noted that the Argyle diamond mine certificates does not indicate of the quality of the diamond cut or measurements. This is the major advantage to having a GIA certification as an accompaniment as it give an international grading for the polish, symmetry and an overall cut grade for round diamonds. Most Australian diamonds will not have a GIA to provide a cut grade, so it is very important when purchasing a stone for it to be assessed under magnification by an accredited diamond grader.

Diamond Carat Weight

Most of the Australian pink diamonds are generally not very large, and most purchases involve diamonds under 1 carat in weight. While carat weight is important, bigger is not always better. When making a purchase, whether for investment or jewellery, it is crucial to consider the balance across all four qualities. Weight plays a significant role in the diamond’s price, and the exponential growth factor is evident with substantial price increases with every 0.05 carats.