Defining Rarity
Before the discovery of the Argyle mine in
Western Australia in the mid-1980s, the finest quality pink
diamonds found elsewhere were very faintly colored. Argyle pinks
and purple-pinks in contrast, have a characteristic full-bodied,
bright and intense color. "Of every 39.2 million carats of
diamonds mined at the Argyle, only 40 carats of pink diamond is
deemed worthy of being presented for sale at their annual,
invitation-only tenders. This is rarity as defined by Mother
Nature.
Steinmetz Fancy Vivid Pink Internally Flawless 59.60 Carats
This fancy vivid oval pink gem is internally
flawless and is the largest vivid pink diamond known. Because of
its significance, experts from The Steinmetz Group took 20
months to cut it. The diamond was unveiled to the public on May
29, 2002 at a ceremony in Monaco.
Pink diamonds, which usually occur in only very small sizes, are
among those that command marquee prices. Pink Argyle stones of
more than one carat are so rare that dealers will seldom sell
such stones. Pure green diamonds are also exceptionally rare,
the kind that may sell at auction for one million dollars per
carat. As commercial demand intensifies, so do the prices of
colored diamonds. That is why, during the past 30 years, price
increases have been spreading through the entire spectrum of
colored diamonds.
As owners, connoisseurs and collectors have
widened their search for value and beauty in every hue,
lightness and intensity, the near-infinity of nuances offered by
colored diamonds have come to be described by an idiom that
draws from elsewhere in nature - "daffodil yellow," or
"raspberry," or "cognac," or "salmon," or, simply, "chocolate."
These terms are part of the new language that responds to
changes that have occurred in the colored diamond market over
the past 30 years, changes that have been wrought by the growing
number of participants and greater demand but also, in part, by
the transformation of the market itself. Once a forum for the
elite, the market in colored diamonds has now opened its doors
to a much wider audience.
Steinmetz Fancy Vivid Pink Rough Crystal