P for Pink Diamond

Such an intriguing beauty – tender Pink Diamonds are among the most valuable and rare treasures of the Earth. They are as scarce as they are stunning. 

Description

Pink Diamonds are extremely rare – only a tiny percentage of diamonds are pink, and only a tiny percentage of them are represented in a rich and vivid color shade. 

The color of Pink Diamonds is a mystery: according to one theory, it comes from special distortion in their crystal structure and not from trace elements, such as nitrogen or boron, like in some other colored gems. This structural defect is known as “plastic deformation” and it leads to the gem absorbing the light differently and emitting the beautiful pink shade. 

Pink Diamonds come in different shades, grading from very light, light, fancy light, fancy intense, fancy deep to fancy vivid. The more intense the color, the higher its price. These stones often come with an additional hue that can be described as purple-pink or orangy pink. 

These tender gems have a more complicated structure than white ones and therefore they can take up to three to four times as long to get polished.

More than 90% of the world’s natural Pink Diamonds had been extracted from the Argyle Mine in Western Australia. Unfortunately, the mine ceased its production in 2020. However, the gems are also found in India, South Africa, Canada, Russia and Brazil. 

History

The earliest known Pink Diamonds are the Daria-i-noor and the Noor-ul-ain Diamonds. Both these gems were a part of the Iranian crown jewels. 

The Daria-i-noor weighs 186 ct and is known as the largest cut diamond in the world! This table-cut light pink diamond had been worn by numerous kings, and formed a part of Indian crown jewels until 1739, when the Persian army retrieved it and brought it to Iran. Today, it is a part of the Iranian Crown Jewels in Tehran.

The Noor-ul-ain – also known as “the light of the eye” – is a 60 ct oval brilliant-cut pink diamond, which is believed to have been discovered in India’s Golconda mines. It was the centerpiece in Iranian Empress Farah Pahlavi’s wedding tiara, which she wore in 1958.

Another famous stone is the Pink Star – the most expensive gemstone sold at auction. It is a 59,6 ct fancy vivid Pink Diamond that Sotheby’s bought for $60 million.

Queen Elizabeth II also has a Pink Diamond brooch, which was gifted to her by a Canadian geologist on her wedding day. She has worn it on many occasions, including the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

Reuven’s comment

Pink diamonds are as rare as blue ones. They acquire an investment character if they have a weight of more than 0.5 ct and do not contain visible inclusions. Talking about such gems of Fancy Intense or Fancy Vivid colors, weighing more than 2 ct, you need to understand that they cost crazy money – starting from a million per carat.

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