FANCY COLOR DIAMONDS

For the 34th time, a collection of fancy colored stones that together comprise one of the world’s most widely covered diamond tenders in any given year has been plying its way around the world. Currently in New York, the final stop on its worldwide tour, the tender’s deadline for final bids is this Wednesday, October 10.

It is the Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender, which in its 2018 reincarnation includes 63 stones with a total weight of 51.48 carats. All rare, several of the gems on offer are exceptional, including five fancy red diamonds, two purplish red diamonds and three violet diamonds.

Headlining the 2018 tender is a 2.28-carat polished oval diamond that has been called the Argyle Muse. It is the largest purplish red diamond ever offered at an Argyle tender. It originated from a 7.51-carat rough stone that also yielded a second purplish red diamond, which also has been included in this year’s sale.

Other notable stones in the sale are the Argyle Alpha, 3.14-carat emerald shaped fancy vivid purplish pink diamond; the Argyle Maestro, 1.29-carat square radiant shaped fancy vivid purplish pink stone;  the Argyle Alchemy, 1.57-carat princess shaped fancy dark gray violet diamond; the Argyle Odyssey, a 2.08-carat round brilliant shaped fancy intense pink diamond; and the Argyle Mira, 1.12-carat radiant shaped Fancy Red stone.

A highlight of the diamond calendar, the Argyle Tenders have in many ways transformed the way in which the public views fancy color diamonds, raising their profilein general, and in particular the profile of the pink varieties.

But the 2018 edition is likely to be one the last Argyle Tenders to held. The Australian diamond mine, after which they are named and which is responsible for about 90 percent of pink diamond production for the past 35 years, is scheduled to come to the end of its life in 2020.

Argyle does not reveal the prices paid for diamonds at its tenders. All it would say about last year’s edition, which included 58 pink, red and violet stones, including the 2.11-carat Argyle Everglow, the largest Fancy Red diamond ever presented at the tender, was that it delivered a record result.

The first Argyle tender, which took place in 1984, comprised 33 stones with a total weight of just over 18 carats.