A former employee of the mine where the diamond was discovered in around 1986, John Chapman of the DELTA Diamond Laboratory, claims that the Fitzpatrick Pink is one of the best round cut fancy coloured diamonds discovered by the Argyle diamond mine in its thirty eight year history.

Until its recent closure the Argyle diamond mine in West Australia conducted one or two private tenders a year offering the mine’s best production to an exclusive group of global diamond traders. Such tenders provided 90% of the world’s pink diamonds. This Global Public Tender is the first-time pink Argyle diamonds are being offered to the general public on the secondary market.

The tender is being conducted by Australian technology start up, Yourdiamonds.com the Chairman of which is Jim Fernandez, the former Executive Vice President of Tiffany & Co in New York and co-director, Her Highness Sheikha Dheya a member of the Bahraini Royal Family.

CEO, Tim Goodman, is a former Sotheby’s Australia Executive Chairman and is now managing this first public tender. “I have never seen a diamond like this 2.00 carat round before. We have had trouble placing a pre-tender estimate on the stone because we have been unable to find a precedent”, Goodman claimed.

The Fitzpatrick Pink is being sold by Ms Di Fitzpatrick who acquired eleven Argyle pink diamonds after attending the World Expo 88 in Brisbane where the Argyle mine had an Exhibition of its early best stones of the time.

The previous Australian record for a diamond and for any piece of jewellery was set at an auction in Sydney when a 25 carat emerald cut diamond fetched $1.125 million including buyer’s premium in April this year. When asked for his expectation of the Fitzpatrick Pink, Tim Goodman said, “I just don’t know. It might be double our estimate or it might be more than double or less. The Fitzpatrick Pink could fetch a price per carat up there with some of the top diamonds ever sold at auction worldwide. Sealed bids for the tender must be in by Tuesday 13 July. So, we shall have to wait and see.” 

The Fitzpatrick Pink is one of 38 pink diamonds up for sale in the tender with a total estimate of between A$13million to A$18miilion. Diamonds have been consigned by private collectors in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. Most of the stones were acquired by their current owners around twenty years ago or longer.

Collectors should be quite pleased with their acquisitions as the owner of the Argyle mine, Rio Tinto, claims that the prices they have achieved at their private tenders have increased by a staggering 500% over the twenty years between 2000 and 2020.

Brisbane collector Diosma (Di) Fitzpatrick acquired 11 rare Australian pink diamonds from West Australia’s Argyle diamond mine during its early days of production. The mine closed in November last year in 2020.

There are numerous shapes and sizes and colour variations with other stones in the Tender. The least expensive pink diamond belongs to a Sydney investor. It is a beautiful small stone of only 0.14 carats but with the generally regarded top colour of fancy intense purplish pink estimated to fetch $22,000 – 32,000.

Another incredibly rare stone is The Queen of Hearts diamond also from the Fitzpatrick Collection and one of the collector’s favourites. It is estimated to fetch A$600,000 – 1,200,000. 

The thirty eight pink diamonds have been the subject of a travelling roadshow from Sydney to Adelaide and Perth. Around forty private viewings by the diamond trade and private customers have been conducted. The Public Tender ends on Tuesday 13 July and the results announced the following day. 

Inquires:

Tim Goodman

CEO and Director https://yourdiamonds.com/

+61 481 780 302

tim.goodman@yourdiamonds.com

Interview with Di Fitzpatrick by appointment

FOR MORE PRESS INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT :

Julian Roup

Bendigo Communications

info@bendigopr.co.uk

+44 7970 563958

Mabel Au-Yeung

mabelay@gmail.com

+852 9038 8939

Background yourdiamonds.com

https://yourdiamonds.com/diamond-industry-leaders/

Background Argyle diamond mine

https://yourdiamonds.com/rare-australian-pink-diamonds/

and

https://argylepinkdiamonds.com.au/

Background on Ms. Di Fitzpatrick

Ms Fitzpatrick has been intrigued with pink diamonds ever since she was a child.                   

In 1987 Arthur Simms, then manager of Hardy Bros, Brisbane conducted a lecture at Brisbane Grammar where Ms Fitzpatrick’s twin sons attended school about the Argyle pink diamond mine. At that time, Hardy Bros had been appointed an early agent by the Argyle mine.

“From that moment on I became fascinated with these beautiful pink diamonds reminiscent of my childhood hero, an angora cat. I think she was called Princess Pearly, a character that lived at the bottom of the ocean always appearing with her pearl tiara with a central oval pink diamond. When I visited the World Expo 88 in Brisbane in 1988, I went straight to the Argyle stand and fell in love with the stones they were offering for sale. I acquired a group of diamonds, my first acquisition through Hardy Bros. I remember being mesmerized by a very pink heart shaped diamond that Argyle had illustrated on the front cover of one of their coffee table glossy publications. I bought a few more stones in the years immediately following the Expo.” Ms Fitzpatrick recalled.

Ms Fitzpatrick used to wear all her pink diamonds as jewellery. “The matching 1.15 carat round brilliant cuts were my stud earrings. These were one of only two matching pairs I have ever seen. My darling heart shape pink diamond I wore in a ring.” Ms Fitzpatrick said.

When asked why she was selling, Ms Fitzpatrick sighs, “I no longer have the lifestyle where I can wear that sort of jewellery. I have loved collecting these gems over the years. It is time for others to experience the pleasure that I have had with these little treasures.”