Zara Tindall promotes jewellery featuring diamonds from pollution-hit Argyle mine
Zara Tindall is promoting jewellery featuring pink diamonds from Australia’s Argyle mine, whose pollution legacy has prompted questions about the ethics of selling the stones. The mine’s traditional owners say contamination and other damage remain serious concerns, raising questions about whether brands and public figures should explain the origins and after-effects of products they promote.
One of four designs associated with Tindall is a £21,600 platinum ring set with 27 Argyle pink diamonds; the mine has closed, making the stones rarer. A 2025 report by Gelganyem, which represents traditional owners, cited PFAS and hydrocarbon contamination, erosion, risks to fish and damage to burial and ceremonial sites. Designer John Calleija says the company takes care over sourcing and custody of its gems and supports ethical sourcing initiatives.
In short
- Zara Tindall promotes jewellery featuring Argyle pink diamonds.
- Traditional owners cite pollution and lasting environmental damage at the mine.
- Calleija says it takes care over sourcing and custody.
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The case for
Promoting the jewellery can be defended on the grounds that the diamonds are rare, valuable stones from a closed mine, and the designer says it takes care over sourcing and supports ethical initiatives. A thoughtful advocate might argue that selling existing stones need not endorse past mining practices, while public interest in their provenance can encourage more scrutiny of how gems are sourced and handled.
The case against
The promotion can be criticised because the traditional owners report continuing contamination and damage to land, waterways and culturally significant sites. A thoughtful advocate might say that highlighting rarity and luxury without clearly addressing those impacts risks obscuring the mine’s legacy, and that brands and public figures have a responsibility to explain the origins and consequences of products they endorse.
Explained simply
The Argyle mine in Western Australia was a major source of pink diamonds until it closed. The land is connected to local Aboriginal traditional owners, represented by the Gelganyem group, who have raised concerns about pollution and damage linked to the mine.
A 2025 report cited contamination, erosion, risks to fish and harm to burial and ceremonial places. The jewellery company says it takes care over where its gems come from and how they are handled, and supports ethical sourcing initiatives.
The stones’ scarcity and high prices have brought renewed attention to their origins and the mine’s effects. The issue raises questions about what companies and public figures should explain when promoting products made with resources from places affected by extraction.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Zara Tindall promotes £21,000-a-ring jewellery containing pink diamonds from pollution-hit mine linked to ‘forever chemicals’ row”.