Rare Argyle pink diamond provides auciton sparkle

 A rare and exceptional Argyle pink diamond, estimated at $1.1 million to $1.4 million, is a major drawcard at Mossgreen’s Fine Jewels & Watches auction from 6.30pm Tuesday June 16 at 926-930 High Street, Armadale.

Lot 51 of an Argyle Pink Diamond Tender in 2010, the diamond is accompanied by an Argyle certificate and a Gemological Institute of America diamond grading report from that same year, stating the colour is a fancy deep purplish pink and of clarity l1.

Pink diamonds are among the rarest and most desirable of all gemstones and this one, found in the remote Kimberley region of northwest Western Australia, is considered beyond that category.

So scarce is the Argyle pink diamond that, for every million carats of rough diamonds mined each year, only one carat is a pink one.

Supply is finite and, based on current production, it is estimated that fewer than 250 high quality gemstones remain.

The auction also contains the collection of Lady Gladys Humphreys (born in 1924 in Newcastle and married to highly respected company director the late Sir Kenneth Humphreys) – one of Sydney’s leading socialites.

Residing for many yeas on the Continent and in Mayfair, London, Bonnie (as she is known) indulged her passion for collecting jewellery, furs, English porcelain and opera.

The collection includes five emerald rings, as stunning 13-carat Ceylonese sapphire and several beautiful aquamarines.

Her jeweller of preference has always been LALAoUNIS (Ilias Lalaounis), the internationally renowned Greek artist and jeweller famed for his rich gold jewellery created in a style reminiscent of the traditional Greek craft.

Many of the fur coats, hats, stoles and capes are by well-known fur maker Lisal of Melbourne.