The diamond industry in Australia is booming, thanks to the discovery of Argyle diamonds. These diamonds are widely known for their brilliance and fantastic colors. Discovered in Western Australia, argyle diamonds in shades cognac, white, pink, and champagne fill the marketplace.
How the Argyle Diamonds Were Discovered
The Argyle diamond saga started at the onset of 1940s. In Smoke Creek, an isolated town located in northwest Australia, significant diamonds were discovered. Earlier before that, there were already diamonds unearthed in Western Australia, which includes those in the Pilbara Region. However, the specific location of these stones was unknown.
Eventually geologists were able to identify the Kimberley region as the source. This was in 1972, For the next seven years, geologists spent their time searching in the region, hoping to find the deposit of Argyle diamonds. The biggest improvement geologists got was the Ellendale Prospect during 1977. A couple of kimberlite pipes bearing diamonds were unearthed in Ellendale. Upon evaluation, however, the prospect proved uneconomical. In 1979, they discovered the Argyle Diamond Mine.
Argyle Diamond Mine
Construction started on the process plant as well as on the primary open-cut mine. Diamonds were also recovered at alluvial plants located in Limestone and Smoke Creeks. About 15 million carats worth of alluvial diamonds were recovered during 1985, when there was proper commission of the Argyle plant.
Production of Argyle Diamonds
With Argyle diamond mine, Australia became one of the biggest diamond producers in the world, especially in terms of volume. The mine is also known as the most technologically advanced in the world.
From the start of its operation in 1986, its yearly production rose from 29 million to 40.9 million carats during 1993. In 1994, total annual production increased to more than 35 million carats. Each year, the mine is responsible for the production of more than a third of all diamonds in the market.
Forty-five percent of the diamonds mined are of gem quality, while 50 percent are good for industries. Five percent of the diamonds are exquisite, ranging from the very valuable pink diamonds to rich cognac and sparkling champagne ones.
Mining of Argyle Diamonds
A total of 45 hectares is covered by Argyle Diamond Mine. These diamonds can come from the alluvial deposits and from the primary pipe. The pipe is 1,600 meters in length, while its width varies between 150 and 600 meters. The diamonds are derived from lamproite, a host rock, rather than from kimberlite, a standard diamond host.
- Diamonds are removed from the lamproite through open-cut mining methods.
- Through blasting, the ore can be dislodged.
- The unattached ore is loaded and placed into 120-ton dump trucks by excavators.
- The ore is then moved to the plant where extraction of diamonds occurs.
The diamond processing methods involved are mostly manual. Employees crush, scrub, screen and remove the diamond from the ore with the gravity separation technique. Recovery of the final diamond is accomplished with the help of x-ray sorting equipment. They can identify as well as help to separate the diamond since the stones glow when x-rayed. There’s no need to use any chemicals, except for the acid used in the final cleaning of the stones. There was a brief halt of alluvial mining before the end of 1985, but it was restarted in 1989. Recovered alluvial diamonds become part of the entire annual production of the mine. Rough diamonds are then moved to Perth, the state’s capital, to be sorted and sold.
Sorting
Sorting of rough diamonds is the first step performed once they arrive in Perth. A recent technology has been applied to cope with the very large volume of Argyle diamonds. With the use of mechanical sieves, sorting of rough diamonds starts. When these stones are sieved, the smaller ones are classified based on their color and shape, with the help of highly advanced equipment.
However, despite of the presence and utilization of modern technologies, the final assessment of the rough diamonds should be done by an expert. Every stone is checked by diamond sorters who give their decision on the basis of size, shape, color, and clarity. Those that are of best quality are retained to be cut and polished.
Polishing
Argyle Diamonds choose those pieces that are worthy to be called gems. They are polished either in Australia or overseas, in assigned cutting centers. It was in 1984 that polishing of Argyle diamonds started. Argyle Diamonds had its first processing center in Perth, Australia.
The Australian production is composed of people who are highly educated in the craft of diamond polishing. They make use of conventional processes as well as technological equipment to reveal the brilliance and fire of rough diamonds. These state-of-the-art equipment are usually in the likes of automatic bruting equipment, computerized polishing machine, and laser devices.
Stones that are polished are brought into Australia and distributed and among exclusive Australian jewelry shops. They are also shipped overseas and received by Argyle Diamond’s branch offices, such as in Bombay, India, and Antwerp, Belgium.
Vulnerabilities
The Institute of Criminology in Australia revealed through a report that the diamond industry of Australia may become vulnerable to illicit activity. The report further determines the procedures when the stones are used or acquired illegally as well as outlining how the entire diamond market, especially Australia can be affected by this. Diamonds can also be linked to other major crime activities such as arms and drug dealing. For every stage in the diamond pipeline there’s always room for exploitation and theft in the form of fraud in diamond evaluation and illicit mining. Based on the report, the market could possibly lose 14 percent of its annual production or $100 million to these crimes.
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