Jeweller - December 2020

News
In Brief
End of an era: Argyle Mine officially closed
Russian pink diamond
sold for $27 million
4 The Spirit of the Rose – the largest-ever
vivid purplish-pink diamond to appear at
auction – has sold for $US26.6 million at a
Sotheby’s event in Geneva. The 14.83-carat
stone, mined by Alrosa in Russia, is
internally flawless and was named after a
famous ballet. An anonymous telephone
bidder won the auction, paying the highestever
price per carat for a purple-pink
diamond, according to Sotheby’s.
Man jailed for $3 million
Melbourne robbery
4Karl Kachami, one of two men who
pleaded guilty in relation to the April
armed robbery of a Melbourne gold
dealer, has been sentenced to four years
in prison, with eligibility for parole in
two years. Kachami, 48, planned the
robbery with an employee of the dealer
and believed it was a “victimless crime”.
He made off with more than $3 million
in cash, jewellery and bullion.
Thieves detained over
Green Vaults heist
4Three people have been arrested in
Berlin in relation to the theft of priceless
jewellery from Dresden Castle’s Green
Vault, a year after the crime took
place. The museum – which is home to
the Dresden Green, one of the world’s
largest green diamonds – was burgled in
the early morning of 25 November 2019
after a small fire at an electricity junction
box caused a power failure.
New national sales
manager at Peter W Beck
4Peter W Beck has appointed
Greville Ingham to the newly-created
role of national sales manager, working
across both retail and precious metal
services divisions of the business.
The role encompasses both Australia
and New Zealand. Ingham was previously
precious metal services manager at
Peter W Beck between 1992 and 2000,
and is a member of the Beck family. He
commenced his new role on 2 November.
An aerial view of the Argyle Mine – the world’s premier source of pink diamonds – which ceased production on
3 November after 37 years of operation.
The source of more than 90 per cent of the
world’s pink diamonds, the Argyle Mine in the
Kimberley region of Western Australia, has
been permanently closed by owner Rio Tinto
after more than 30 years
of operation.
The mine’s last day of operation was 3
November, with employees and traditional
owners of the land attending an event to mark
the start of the closure process.
Rio Tinto estimates it will take five years to
dismantle and decommission the Argyle site,
which will be rehabilitated, monitored, and
returned to traditional owners.
Andrew Wilson, general manager of the Argyle
Mine, said, “This is an historic day for the
Argyle Mine and the east Kimberley region,
and a great source of pride for this unique
Australian success story.
“A new chapter will now begin as we start the
process of respectfully closing the Argyle mine
and rehabilitating the land, to be handed back
to its traditional custodians.”
Diamonds were discovered in the region in
1979, with alluvial operations commencing
four years later.
Open pit mining began in 1985, and the Argyle
site was transitioned to a fully underground
operation in 2013 as its diamond reserves
began to be exhausted.
Over its period of operation, the mine has
produced more than 865 million carats of
rough diamonds and is the world’s largest
producer of natural fancy colour diamonds.
The annual Argyle Tender of colour diamonds
began with a 33-stone viewing in Antwerp in
1984, and has since evolved into a staple of
the diamond-buying calendar that captivates
industry figures and consumers alike.
“A new chapter will now begin as we
start the process of respectfully closing
the Argyle Mine and rehabilitating
the land, to be handed back to its
traditional custodians”
ANDREW WILSON
Argyle Mine
Arnaud Soirat, chief executive – copper and
diamonds at Rio Tinto, said, “50 years ago
there were very few people who believed
there were diamonds in Australia – even
fewer could have foreseen how the Argyle
story would unfold.
To arrive at this final chapter has required
vision, courage and determination to overcome
significant challenges to enter new territory in
diamond exploration, mining and marketing.”
He added, “Today Argyle’s influence stretches
into many spheres and over many continents
and I am very proud to acknowledge all
those people who have contributed to the
discovery and development of the mine and the
production of some of the finest diamonds the
world has ever seen.”
Bids for the penultimate Tender, ‘One Lifetime,
One Encounter’, closed on 2 December.
20 | December 2020