The colour of a diamond is determined at its creation some two billion years ago. One theory of the origin of pink diamonds is that nitrogen atoms in the crystal structure have been distorted by high pressure. These conditions have produced unique crystal structures that absorb green and blue light, yielding the pink colour. Geologists discovered that many of these precious stones became coloured when the original diamonds were formed two billion years ago.

While pink diamonds are as old as the earth itself, time is running out. The main source of these rare gemstones is predicted to be depleted within the next 10 years. This year will see Argyle Mine cease operations in its open pit, the AK1, but its underground operations will continue until 2018. As with any rare and precious object, time can only increase its value.