The ‘Celestia’ Ring by Mondial. A 3.51ct Fancy Intense Yellow/VVS1 Argyle yellow diamond. (Photo: Mondial)
Argyle yellow diamonds are not as well known as the Argyle pinks and blues, but they do exist, although they are not as easily found. If you are offered a yellow diamond from ‘Western Australia’ do not assume that it is from the Argyle mine. The Ellendale mine, which is also located in Western Australia, was famous for producing yellow diamonds and for their supply contract with Tiffany and Co. An Argyle yellow must specifically come from the Argyle Mine. After Ellendale closed, its trading name was sold to Soklich & Co, who now operates it as a brand name selling jewellery and loose Argyle and Ellendale diamonds.
Map of the Ellendale and Argyle Diamond Mines, Western Australia. (Image: Sylvie Dibbs)
Proof of Origin for Argyle Yellow Diamonds
Determining whether a yellow diamond is from the Argyle mine is not straight forward. A diamond may simply have documentation such as an invoice which states its origin. It could also have an Argyle lot number, but these do vary. I have seen a combination of letter and numbers and numbers only in these lot numbers. I have confirmed from the supplier that these numbers were given to them by Argyle Pink Diamond (Rio Tinto) through their direct supplier channels. Calleija (Argyle Pink Diamond Select Atelier) has advertised a princess cut Argyle yellow diamond ring, stating that it came with an Argyle certificate (Calleija have not posted an image of the certificate or quoted the certificate number). Mondial (Argyle Pink Diamond Select Atelier) has also advertised an Argyle yellow diamond and state that it comes with “an Inscription, Certification and Attestation from Argyle as to its Provenance and extreme Rarity.”
Argyle Yellow Diamond Colour Grading
Argyle yellow diamonds do not have a unique Argyle colour grading system like the Argyle Pink and Argyle Blue diamonds, they are graded by the GIA yellow diamond colour grading system.
Examples of Argyle Yellow Diamonds
Here are some images of Argyle yellow diamond rings that were advertised by Calleija, Mondial and Ellendale. The loose Argyle yellow diamonds are from Ellendale and have an Argyle lot number prefixed with ‘A’ and an Ellendale number prefixed with ‘ED’. The ED number is the Ellendale internal reference number and is not assigned by Argyle.
Famous Argyle Yellow Diamonds
There are a few stunning examples of Argyle yellow diamonds crafted by the top jewellery houses:
- Mondial ‘Celestia’ Ring (October, 2019), featuring a 3.51ct Fancy Intense Yellow/VVS1 Argyle yellow diamond. [I suspect this could be a rework of the ‘Kimberley Golden Rose’ ring, as it is the same diamond specs and published 5 months later.] View Here
- Mondial ‘Kimberly Golden Rose’ Ring (May, 2019), again, featuring a 3.51ct Fancy Intense Yellow/VVS1 Argyle yellow diamond. View Here
- Glajz ‘The Golden Twins of Argyle’, two loose emerald cut Argyle yellow diamonds, stated as ‘The largest known Fancy Vivid Yellow diamonds from the Argyle Diamond Mine in Western Australia.’ Both diamonds are 5.02ct and 5.01ct. View Here
- Calleija ‘Argyle Dreaming’ Necklace (2019), featuring small (melee) round brilliant cut Argyle yellow diamonds. View Here
