Pendant / locket set with Australian pink Argyle diamond

A locket is an item of jewellery, usually a pendant worn on a chain around the neck, that is hinged and opens to reveal a space, sometimes called a "keepsake compartment", used for storing a a personal memento, such as a miniature, a photograph or strands of hair.

Other styles of lockets are worn as a brooch or bracelet.

They have been around in various forms since the 15th century, but reached the peak of their popularity in the 19th century, when sentimentality was part of the national psyche.

They are most commonly made of gold or silver, often decorated more... with precious or semi-precious stones and come in many shapes including ovals, hearts and circles. less...

Argyle diamonds are highly prized for their rarity and unique colours and were mined exclusively from the Argyle diamond mine in Western Australia. The Argyle mine was the world's largest diamond mine in terms of the volume of diamonds produced and was operational from 1983.

The story of Argyle diamonds begins in the late 1970s when geologists discovered a deposit of diamonds in the remote East Kimberley region of Western Australia. In 1983, the Argyle diamond mine officially opened, and over the years, it became a major producer of high-quality diamonds.

One of the unique features of Argyle more... diamonds is their pink and red coloration. These colours are caused by a distortion in the diamond's crystal lattice structure and are incredibly rare, with only a small percentage of diamonds found in the Argyle mine exhibiting these colours.

The Argyle diamond mine had a significant impact on the diamond industry, as it produced a large proportion of the world's pink and red diamonds. In 2020, the mine closed after 37 years of operation, as it had reached the end of its productive life. less...