Argyle Mine Produces Rare White Diamond

The Argyle Mine, in the east Kimberley region of Western Australia, has produced one of the largest white diamonds. The Argyle Octavia, octahedral-shaped 28.84-carat stone, was discovered in March.

The General Manager Operations, Andrew Wilson said they don't see many this shape or colour or that clarity, generally out of the mine. Wilson said it was rare for a stone this size to even survive the mining process intact. "We have probably seen 20 of these in the last 36-years of operations, of the plus-20-carat size. To find one that gets all the way through our crushers, and all the way through the sorting process, out to where we retrieve it, its quite unusual for it to be able to come out fully formed diamond."

Moreover, this could be the last major diamond for the Argyle Mine to produce as it is due to shut down in 2020. Wilson said there are a lot of people on site who work really hard to be able to find these diamonds and to have discovered this one is a real thrill for everyone.

The mine has started a tender process for the stone to be whisked away to the world's diamond trade capital of Antwerp in Belgium. Wilson said the stone will go to Antwerp. "Through our auction process, the market will determine its value." He added that the diamond would be sold as a rough stone.