Rancid and Lucy enjoy their breakfast

_Elsa_

Early next morning Rancid receives a text message from Lucy saying that she will meet him downstairs in a few for breakfast. He takes his shower and prepares for the day ahead of him. Walking into the restaurant he finds Lucy reading something.

Hi Lucy,” Rancid says. “I am so excited to be joining you in your adventure to this mine.”

Lucy is reading some information that she found online about the Argyle mine. She looks up to say hi to Rancid and to introduce Charlie, her bird, to him. She begins to read it out loud so that Rancid can learn the history of this mine too.

 “The Argyle mine lies 2,500 kilometers from the Australian city of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. The mine began its operations in 1985 and has changed the world of diamonds, and pink diamonds in particular, ever since. Approximately 20 million carats of diamonds are produced annually at the mine, but less than a mere 0.1% of them are pink diamonds.

In 2009, it was estimated that the mine's life span would remain only 10 more years, and Argyle has recently confirmed that the mine will be closing by the end of 2020. There has never before been, and will probably never be again, a mine that replicates these unique properties as productive and successful as the Argyle mine.

Controlled by Rio-Tinto, the world's third largest mining company, the mine produces approximately 35 million carats of rough diamonds annually, but only 5% are considered gem quality. Furthermore, less than 2% of all color diamonds mined at the Argyle mine can be certified as pink diamonds. Argyle diamonds are known throughout the world to show fantastic colors and retain unbelievable value. In fact, these stones can sometimes reach almost twice the amount of a similarly beautiful pink diamond mined elsewhere.

Argyle invested a lot of work into branding their pink diamond unit, as they quickly recognized the potential that these stones held. They developed their own color grading system and after thoroughly assessing the diamonds they note their color and clarity grade in their own Argyle Certificate.

The Argyle mine may be the largest source for pink diamonds that the world has ever seen and will ever see, but there are only so many pink diamonds to be found. The rarity of Pink Argyle Diamonds makes them a hot commodity that is gaining increasing popularity among investors, diamond enthusiasts, and celebrities alike. Regardless of whether or not the Argyle mine will shut its doors in the next few years, one thing is certain; the Argyle mine has become much more than just a diamond mine but rather, a timeless diamond empire that will be remembered for eternity.” You can read more here.

Let's continue with the next part of our story - Rancid and Lucy arrive at the Argyle mine

Start at the beginning of the story – Rancid proposes to Rachel