How the 5 C’s influence the value of your diamond?
Certification
The demand for certified pink diamonds from the Argyle mine will continue to soar for decades to come, as only a select number of diamonds from the Argyle mine were officially certified.
The pink diamond rough that did not meet the specified standards set by the Argyle brand were subsequently submitted for auction. These diamonds when offered for sale may be accompanied with an Argyle origin certificate issued by an independent third-party laboratory, based on the unique DNA characteristics of a diamond sourced from the Argyle mine.
Cut
Round Brilliant
Round Brilliant pink diamonds, just like in the white diamond world, will always sell for a premium over traditional or modified fancy shapes. This is because of their additional cutting wastage and popularity.
traditional fancy
The Traditional Fancy shapes such as Cushion, Radiant, Pear, Princess, Oval, Emerald and Asscher cut diamonds are the most common shapes. They offer a wider selection of sizes, colours and clarity choices compared to round diamonds.
Traditional fancy shapes will always sell at a reduced price over an equivalent round brilliant diamond due to their lower cutting wastage. Investing in the more popular fancy shapes will ensure greater demand in the secondary resale market.
Colour
THE UNIQUE ARGYLE HUE GRADING SYSTEM
Argyle has produced its own grading system for its pink diamonds based on the dominant hues. Within those hues their intensity is represented by a number with 1 for the deepest hues to 9 for the lightest.
Hue
The dominant colour of the diamond. Sometimes there are modifying colours or tints that affect hue. For example, a diamond with a pink hue may have a purplish tint.
Saturation
The strength of pink colour in the hue. Hue saturation in pink diamonds can range from light pink to intense, and at the strongest saturation – vivid.
tone
The amount of lightness or darkness in the diamond. The range of tone extends fromlight to dark. The second colour in a dual colour grade is always the dominant colour. The ‘ish’ refers to the modifying colour. For example, purplish pink, pink is the dominant colour.
The colour saturation of an Argyle branded Pink diamond will set the price of your investment.
As a rule, never buy 8 or 9 P / PP / PR or 1 / 2 / 3PC (Pink Champagne) colours. These grades are at the weaker end of the Argyle colour spectrum, and have had little appreciation in the past 5 years.
The best returns are between 1 to 7 colour saturation P (Pink) PP (Purplish Pink) PR (Pink Rose’)
Clarity
The clarity of a pink diamond is determined by examining any exterior or interior imperfections in the diamond under a microscope magnified by 10 times. Both trauma on the surface of the stone, known as blemishes, and flaws within its heart, known as inclusions, are taken into account when rating a pink diamond for its clarity. When it comes to Argyle coloured diamonds, as long as the diamond is eye clean, the saturation of colour is more important than the clarity.
THE UNIQUE ARGYLE HUE GRADING SYSTEM
Argyle has produced its own grading system for its pink diamonds based on the dominant hues. Within those hues their intensity is represented by a number with 1 for the deepest hues to 9 for the lightest.
Carat weight
When investing in an Argyle branded pink diamond, size is as important as colour. Most people who purchase pink diamonds from the Argyle mine fall into 3 categories; the investor, the collector and the jewellery connoisseur.
Regrettably, many people hoping to invest in a high-return Argyle branded pink diamond are sometimes misguided into buying a low-return Argyle origin pink diamond instead.
A premium Argyle investment pink diamond is commonly referred to as being “substantial and rare”. These quality larger sized, low-volume pink diamonds will always remain calm through market volatility because of their strong demand from the Australian, Asian and American jewellery / investment markets. Statistically, only a small percentage of all lasers inscribed pink diamonds from the Argyle mine are 0.20ct or larger in size.
They are considered substantial enough to be set into single-stone bespoke jewellery and over time these already rare diamonds will be set into family heirlooms, disappearing off the global market for decades. Making them even rarer by volume. In the final 2021 Argyle Signature Tender, Argyle put a huge preference on size over colour and clarity!
Statistically, the majority of laser-inscribed pink diamonds from the Argyle mine fell between 0.08 and 0.19 carats. Therefore, the secondary market price for these pink diamonds will partly depend on the volume available on the market at any one time. When evaluating this weight group as an investment it is recommended to consider the stronger colour saturations.
This weight category should predominantly be for bespoke Jewellery and the collectable market. The investment growth of these diamonds will be lower than the larger sized pinks, they will still have a steady growth because of their lower entry level price.