Most people think of diamond jewellery as having sparkling white stones but can we get other colours? Yes we can but most of them are white diamonds turned another colour from treating them. Today you can have your white diamond turned another colour for about $400. But how would you like your engagement ring made with a blistering, vibrant pink diamond and a natural one at that! Well, the Argyle diamond mine in Western Australia will supply that to you as well as yellows, browns and blue.

Diamonds come from the earth’s mantle and move to the surface in what are called pipes which are made from kimberlite or lamproite rock. There are diamond deposits in every state of Australia.

The Argyle diamond pipe was found in 1979 a very short time ago. In 1983 construction began on the main open cut diamond mine and processing plant. Even before the plant was commissioned some fifteen million carats of diamonds had been found as alluvial deposits in the region. Since then the Argyle diamond has made Australia one of the world’s largest producers of diamonds and now annually produces around one third of the world supply.

Argyle diamonds come in a variety of different colours but are broken up into three main categories: pink, champagne and white. The colours range from grey, yellow, brown, orange, green and reds as well as intermediate colours. The best are the colorless or the ones which exhibit a distinct and vibrant colour which are named fancies. Pink diamonds are rare and this mine produces the most dependable supply in the world.

The best of the Argyle diamonds are processed, cut and polished in Western Australia and that is a comforting aspect when we know that there is no conflict with these diamonds. You can be sure that no child in a third world country has laboured for these and no adult has been forced to mine them by some rebel soldier under penalty of death.