Rare Gems Come Together In a Sparkling New Partnership
Australia’s Argyle Pink Diamonds and the West Australian Ballet Company are partnering to support uniquely talented dancers.
Australia’s Argyle Pink Diamonds, a Rio Tinto company, is collaborating with the West Australian Ballet Company in a unique partnership titled the Rare Gem partnership. The partnership is named after both the rare pink diamonds discovered at the Argyle Mine and the rare talents on display at the West Australian Ballet Company.
In the Rare Gem partnership, Argyle Pink Diamonds will fund a 12-month scholarship within West Australian Ballet’s Youth Artists Program to ready them for a professional ballet career through dedicated mentorship that will enable them to develop and gain valuable experience on the stage.
“We are delighted to partner with Argyle Pink Diamonds through the Rare Gem partnership,” said Executive Director of West Australian Ballet, Lauren Major, in a press release from Argyle Pink Diamonds. “Our Young Artists program is an opportunity for a precious few young dancers and even fewer to be supported through the Rare Gem affiliation.”
History of Australia’s Argyle Mine
Australia’s Argyle Mine was known for unearthing some of the most special diamonds on Earth. To this day, the Argyle Pink Diamonds are some of the most unique colored diamonds ever found and extremely rare due to their finite nature. The Argyle Mine, located in Australia’s East Kimberley region, was open from 1983 until November 2020. It was closed due to the exhaustion of resources and remains virtually the only significant source of pink diamonds in the world, accounting for at least 90% of pink diamond discoveries.
Although the mine is no longer functioning, Argyle was still releasing bespoke curations of rare pink diamonds into the market up until 2024. The final bespoke curation of pink diamonds was acquired by Tiffany & Co. in January of 2023. The relationship began over a year earlier when Argyle approached Tiffany & Co., exclusively offering the House this unique collection of 35 remarkable colored diamonds, including Fancy Intense Pink, Fancy Intense Purplish Pink, Fancy Vivid Pink, Fancy Vivid Purplish Pink, Deep Pink, and Fancy Red.
In 2024, Rio Tinto presented a Beyond Rare tender named Colour Awakened, featuring unique colored diamonds from the Argyle Mine as well as the Diavik Diamond Mine, located beneath a frozen lake in Northern Canada. Argyle provided the reds and pinks in the tender while Diavik provided the vibrant yellows.
Science of Pink Diamonds
Pink diamonds are extremely rare due to the extreme conditions in which they are formed. While all natural diamonds formed under intense heat and pressure up to three billion years ago, pink diamonds are subject to further, more extreme pressure that compresses their internal structure. This phenomenon is known as “plastic deformation,” and it causes the diamonds to reflect pink light. However, their unique way of forming means that most diamonds do not survive, and if they do, they are likely very small or highly included, which is why they are so rare.
In a press release, Major describes “the process of finding and developing young, talented dancers… akin to the process of uncovering and transforming rare diamonds from deep within the earth.” Having enough talent to make it to the professional ballet stage is certainly rare and unique, just like a natural pink diamond from Argyle.
Rare Gem Partnership
Rio Tinto Chief Executive Minerals Sinead Kaufman echoed these sentiments in a press release, saying, “Beauty and perfection drive both our Argyle Pink Diamonds business and West Australian Ballet. Rare pink diamonds, forged under extreme conditions from the depths of the earth, mirror the discipline and dedication that results in the breathtaking beauty of ballet.”
The Young Artist Chosen to receive the scholarship fund in 2025 is Samantha Green. Green is an awarded and commended young dancer who is completing her studies at Youth Ballet WA and graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts with Honors in Dance. As part of the program, Green will perform in every mainstage season this year as well as regional tours and special events for the West Australian Ballet company.
“We are honored to share the passion of what we do through the Rare Gem partnership,” said Kaufman. “We congratulate Samantha on being our 2025 Rare Gem, and we look forward to being part of her year of transformation.”
