This article is a bit different than what I usually write about.

Normally, this blog focuses on the colored diamonds industry news, educational material and buying guides – and I’m proud to say that our material was featured in sites as Jeweller Magazine, Lifehack.org and many others.

This time, the post’s purpose is to clarify all of the confusion and misunderstanding surrounding Chocolate Diamonds®. Same diamonds that are often seen in various kay Jewelers ads just like the one placed here…

What we’ll talk about (click to skip):
What are Chocolate Diamonds®?
Where do Chocolate Diamonds® come from?
The real value of Chocolate Diamond Rings
Why Chocolate Diamonds® cost more than Brown Diamonds?
The truth about Chocolate Diamonds®
Editorial Notes – the Lies

Chocolate Brown Diamonds Eternity Rings

What is a Chocolate Diamond?

Well, the first thing you’d notice about chocolate diamonds is that they are beautiful and fairly inexpensive compared to regular diamonds – most chocolate rings priced at the $1,000 – $5,000 range which is below the average engagement ring price tag. Just look at these examples that currently cost $899 and $4,089 (click to enlarge):

In short, Chocolate Diamonds® are a trademark owned by Le-Vian group which describes nicely the color of the diamond.

Just like strong colored yellow diamonds are often referred to as canary diamonds and other shades of brown called Cognac and Champagne (I hope I didn’t share another industry secret…).

Here is Mr. Eddie Le Vian’s comment and explanation of what Chocolate Diamonds® are:

Chocolate Diamonds® are Le Vian’s proprietary brand of natural fancy color diamonds that are chosen for their rarity and chocolate flavor.

There are color, clarity and cut criteria, as well as responsible, traceable sourcing criteria for being branded as Chocolate Diamonds®. (Eddie Le Vian to Jezebel)”

Where do Chocolate Diamonds come from?

Just like colorless diamonds, colored diamonds come from all over the globe. The beauty is that every region (even every mine) that is known to produce colored diamonds is known to produce specific colors.

In the case of brown diamonds (and in them the specific shade referred as Chocolate), they are found mainly in Australia (Argyle), Angola, Borneo, Brazil and the Congo. According to Le-Vian, they source their brown diamonds from the Argyle Diamond Mine.

The Real Value of Chocolate Diamond Rings?

As I mentioned I want you to have ALL of the information! According to Jezebel’s writer – brown diamonds are the most common form of diamonds on earth and till not too long ago were used only for industrial purposes and therefore the prices of chocolate diamonds® should not be as high.

In the complementary article written at the Daily Mail the title of the article goes as far as calling jewelers liars and claiming they are fooling women.

Brown Diamonds do cost 50% less than medium quality white diamonds

The Jezebel’s article goes on and on about the deception and about the fact that these diamonds may be worthless in 20 years: “Imagine trying to sell a chocolate diamond in 20 years” and also about how they degrade women:

The name and marketing campaign is insulting on a few levels: Women won’t be able to resist, because it’s chocolate! Women won’t care that they’re just brown rocks if we call them chocolate! Women love to treat themselves, and indulge — and will buy something even if it’s not good for them!”

Really? I’m not a woman but do you think women would buy an $8,000 chocolate diamond ring because it is called chocolate? I think the one that degrades women is Jezebel by stating it…

Brown Diamonds are less expensive than white diamonds. Some might call them cheap (relatively speaking – these are diamonds and not chocolates after all).

Example Pricing of Brown Diamonds

The prices below of the brown diamonds are taken from actual diamonds on our site. The comparable white diamonds are taken from BlueNile.com – one of the cheapest suppliers for colorless diamonds.

3.09ct Dark Orangy Brown Diamond

3.45ct Dark Orangy Brown Diamond

2.04ct Fancy Yellow Brown Diamond

In the examples:

• 3.09ct Princess Dark Orangy Brown Diamond = $11,000
  3.09ct Princess Cut G color, si2 = $25,000
• 3.45ct Round Dark Orangy Brown Diamond = $11,000
  3.45ct Round G Color, si2 = $49,000
• 2.04ct Oval Fancy Yellow Brown Diamond, vs1 = $6,000
  2.04ct Oval G Color, vs1 = $20,000

As can be seen… Brown Diamonds do cost a fraction of the price of equivalent white diamonds. So…

Why do Chocolate Diamonds cost more than Brown Diamonds?

According to Le-Vian, the entire concept of Chocolate Diamonds was invented to differentiate the brown diamonds that they are using which are of high color, good quality and sourced from the Argyle diamond mine than from the poor and low quality brown diamonds that one can buy cheap (like the ones you often find on eBay):

While it is true that there exists a high percentage of low clarity/ poor color brown diamonds, there is a small percentage, less than 5%, which are, in actuality, more beautiful and rarer than their colorless white counterpart; in fact, 10,000 times rarer.

It is this select group of diamonds that enticed Le Vian who recognized the value and rarity of the higher color and clarity natural brown diamonds which were unfairly grouped with the lower quality stones thus resulting in lower pricing.

While I can relate to that, as you can see from the examples above of GIA certified brown diamonds taken from our stock – I think this is not and should not be the point. The point is that Chocolate Diamonds are designer Jewelry and when you buy designer goods you pay more for many reasons. It is up to you to choose if you’d like to go that route or not.

Is the price of a Louis Vuitton bag made up of the amount of fabric used? Is the price of an iPhone similar to the price of an un-known Chinese cell phone?
What about the beautiful Tiffany rings? According to their financial reports they sold their products with over 61.5% gross profit… are they liars?

Same with Le Vian… they are designers. When buying from them you buy designer jewelry that always costs more.

The Truth about Chocolate Diamonds

In my opinion, this section is a bit out of the scope needed to understand Chocolate Diamonds but it is needed to answer all that was discussed in the Jezebel article. The writer proclaims that your Chocolate Diamond would be worthless 20 years from now and she quotes from the excellent book “Have you Ever Tried Selling a Diamond?”. Before I respond and explain let me ask you this:

Are you investing in colored diamonds or buying a present / engagement ring?

Brown Diamond Engagement Ring can easily cost 50% less than equivalent white diamond ring

In fact, these “evil brown diamonds” assist in breaking the “mold”, the “template” of regular engagement rings and allow people to design a personalized and unique diamond engagement ring at a fraction of the price of a regular ring.

When I proposed my wife, more than 10 years ago, at no point did I contemplate what the ring would be worth when we pass it to our kids. I simply wanted something beautiful that would put a smile on her face and that was personalized to her taste.

Saying (at least these days) that the saying “diamonds are forever“ was invented in order to prevent you from trying to sell your diamond is ridiculous. Diamonds do last forever, they do not ware off, hopefully your marriage would be the same… an obvious symbolic concept.

In recent years people are actually stepping out of the “Need to Buy a Diamond” and enter the concept of giving a token of love to your loved one – and yes, diamonds can do the trick but also Sapphires (see Kate Middleton’s engagement ring) and Colored diamonds which truly enable you to personalize the ring to the taste, style and character of your better half.

Have you ever tried selling a diamond? Or an iPhone? A Car?

The article stipulates that diamonds are far overpriced (especially Chocolate ones). At that point they quote Mr. Epstein who wrote back in the early 80′s about the De-Beers cartel. A very interesting book that I have enjoyed reading and learned a lot from on the industry and how it operates (or at least operated).

Mr. Epstein bought a diamond from a retailer on 47^th st. for $1,500 and later tried reselling it (back to retailers!). He was offered far less for it and was told that it was low quality etc.

Mr. Epstein bought the diamond in one of the most expensive locations in the world. Of course it was overpriced.

Besides, the “rude” jeweler wanted to earn his share . Remember my example about Tiffany’s 60% gross profit… this means that a $1,500 dollar ring costs them around $600… Do you think that if you go to Tiffany’s and offer them to buy a diamond ring from you for $600 they would accept? Even $500…?

Also, when a jeweler is buying a diamond from his supplier do you imagine they tell their suppliers “it is an amazing diamond I want it” or something in the lines of “it is mediocre and is not worth the price you are asking…”?

Jezebel – Have you ever tried selling your used car? Did your buyer complement you on how the car is well maintained or did he show you all the flaws and offered less? How much does Amazon charge for used books? (can you imagine for how much they buy them…?)

And who buys a diamond these days without a certificate stating its findings? Today, if Mr. Epstein (or any buyer) were to buy a certified diamond no jeweler could have told him anything about the quality of the diamond…

But what do I care about Chocolate Diamonds?

I don’t sell Chocolate Diamonds® or any of Le Vian’s goods nor we are their suppliers.

In my early days in the natural colored diamonds industry I made the mistake of blogging a lot about Chocolate Diamonds®.
It seemed so natural to me to call these dark brown diamonds Chocolate Diamonds® that I never even suspected it’s a registered trademark.
I assumed these are shades of brown diamonds exactly like cognac and champagne. Only as the time went by and I learned more about colored diamonds I came to realize this “hard truth”.

So why do I care…?

Short Editorial Note

Every once in a while, especially when the scent of diamonds is in the air (like Valentines & Christmas), comes an article and debates the concept of using diamonds as a token of love.

A while back was the great post “diamonds are bullshit” (no sarcasm intended though it lacked some fundamental facts) and recently the news industry decided to rant about chocolate diamonds® with an article at Jezebel - “The Truth About Chocolate Diamonds“ and its spin-off at the Daily Mail which took it to extreme “How jewelers are fooling women by repackaging the common brown diamond as an expensive gem”.

What is all the fuss about?

According to Jezebel, they “uncovered” the truth behind the diamond industry’s best kept secret – What Chocolate Diamonds® really are… (here sarcasm is intended).

So, While I truly recommend reading both articles, I’ll try to summarize the points, putting order into things along with somewhat deeper understanding – removing the headline hunting and adding real valuable information.

I simply feel that there are misleading facts in the article that abuse brown diamonds and with them Le Vian.

Last small note…

Since the articles were published, we approached The Daily Mail and Jezebel (and writer) trying to tell the other side of the story. Unfortunately, to this point we did not get any response and therefore published it here…

The post The LIES About Chocolate Diamonds appeared first on Naturally Colored.

This simple question has a bit of a complex answer – yes and no.

In order to properly analyze and compare the two, we will look only at loose colored diamonds vs loose white diamonds, even though the idea remains the same for jewelry.

Would you like to test your knowledge before we start?
Answer 1 simple question – Which diamond color is the most expensive?

Basic rules of Economy – Rare Diamonds are More Expensive

Even though that colored diamonds are extremely rare, being less than 0.1% of the number of mined diamonds (some say less than 0.01%), there is actually a very nice selection of diamonds colors with prices that are much more affordable than those of white diamonds.

So when it comes to pricing – basic rules of economy apply here as well – supply and demand dictates the prices of the different colors of fancy colored diamonds.

In this case the supply is basically determined by the rarity of the diamond’s color and how hard it is to obtain it.

When it comes to demand human nature dictates the trend – wanting to have what we can’t and what no one else has (meaning the more rare and extraordinary colors of colored diamonds) along with fashion trends, for example when Paris Hilton was proposed with a HUGE canary yellow diamond engagement ring or when Ben Affleck proposed Jennifer Lopez with a 6 carat pink diamond ring – these two events increased the demand for such diamonds. And that spike in demand caused a temporary spike in prices. However, fashion trends tend to have a short term effect.

Mixed Collection of Colored Diamonds - Base Colors and Shapes

While there are thousands of diamond colors, we’ll divide the fancy color diamonds into four main color groups based on their prices:

1. Relatively affordable colored diamonds – Grey, Brown and Fancy Yellow Diamonds.
2. Mid-range pricing – Intense and Vivid Yellow Diamonds and Orange Diamonds.
3. High price range – Pink, Purple, Violet, Green and Blue diamond.
4. Ultra High – Only one color is without a doubt, the rarest diamond color which is also the most expensive – Answer below…

SEE ALSO: The 7380 Colored Diamonds Color Combinations

Affordable Colored Diamonds

The first group of diamonds, the affordable colored diamonds, actually makes a very good alternative to white diamonds. These beauties, even though more rare and eye catching than white diamonds, will actually cost less (excluding the strong intensities such as vivid yellows etc.).

0.53 carat, Fancy Brown Diamond, SI1 ($1,200)

0.52 carat, Fancy Gray Diamond, SI1 ($1,650)

0.50 carat, Fancy Yellow Diamond, SI1 ($2,000)

0.50 carat, H SI1 Round Diamond ($1,250)

Among these three colors yellow diamonds are the most commonly known and also the most expensive – so the question is:

Are Yellow Diamonds More Expensive?

The best way to check it out will be by using existing examples from our site, a pricing battle – Yellow Diamonds VS White Diamonds.

A very nice 1.00 carat Radiant Cut Diamond with G color and VS1 clarity is sold for $5,500 where a 1.00 carat Fancy Yellow Diamond with VS2 clarity will go for $4,500. Note that a vivid yellow of 0.75 carat and VS clarity will cost about $5,500 and a 1 carat vivid will easily cost above $10,000.

1 carat Fancy Yellow Diamond ($4,500)

0.75 carat Vivid Yellow Diamond ($5,500)

1 carat Radiant Cut Diamond ($5,500)

This basically means that you can easily create a unique one of a kind diamond ring or any other piece of jewelry using Grey, Brown (including chocolate and champagne) or Fancy Yellow Diamonds for much less than the ordinary whites will cost you!

Mid Level Colored Diamonds Prices

Intense Orange Diamond
0.52 carat ($50,000)

Now let’s examine the mid-range. The mid-range level of prices may vary dramatically based on the existence of a secondary hue, a secondary color, and the intensity of the color. Pure Orange Diamonds will have an extremely high price tag, not far from the “high level” diamonds. However, in this group you will often find diamonds with a secondary brown or yellow hue which dramatically reduces the price (Brownish Orange Diamonds and Yellowish Orange Diamonds). Still, the range of prices is huge and some diamonds will be cheaper from whites and the others a lot higher.

Intense Yellow Diamonds, canary diamonds, are relatively close in prices to white diamonds whereas the vivid yellows are already looking down on them as seen in the previous section.

Deep Yellowish Orange Diamond,
1 carat = $9,500

Round Diamond,
1 carat E SI1= $7,500

Another advantage you should consider is that due to the darker colors of these colored diamonds they tend to hide their inclusions quite nicely. This means that when considering a dark colored diamond you can buy a cheaper diamond by settling on the clarity grading whereas on white diamond you probably shouldn’t go below si2 (or even si1). The above deep yellowish orange diamond has a clarity grading of I1 and is completely eye clean.

Extremely Rare Colored Diamonds are also Extremely Expensive!

This level of diamonds (pink, purple, green, blue, violet and pure oranges) is consisted of the diamonds that are considered the rarest in the world. Colors that we usually hear that are sold through auction houses for millions of dollars. The price per carat base line is in the tens of thousands of dollars and any improvement in attributes such as bigger size or stronger color intensity (intense or vivid) and the pricing goes up exponentially. So yes, these colored diamonds are more expensive than white diamonds.

Fancy Intense Pink Diamond
0.22 carat ($4,500)

However, you need to consider that the effect of a small and remarkable colored diamond from this group goes a long way. A small intense pink diamond, even a quarter of a carat will probably be more eye catching than a 1 carat D, VS colorless diamond. So it’s true that these colored diamonds are more expensive when compared only by carat weight and clarity grading but smart shoppers will be able find the perfect diamond within their budget limits.

Which is the Most Expensive Diamond Color?

In white colorless diamonds the obvious answer is D (the diamond color chart goes from D-Z). But in colored diamonds...

While there can be debates about which is more expensive, the blue diamond or the pink diamond, there are no debates as per which colored diamond is the most expensive – ...

The rarest diamond color is the most expensive

Red Diamonds are the rarest and thus the most expensive diamond color! They come only in a Fancy intensity and the color modifiers for them are purplish (purplish red diamonds) and brownish. Pure red diamonds almost don’t exist. The most known red diamond is the Mousaieff Red – a 5.11ct Pure Red diamond.

Fancy Reddish Brown Diamond
0.66 carat ($20,000)

The prices of red diamonds are hard to compare since there dramatic differences between them – even with the same certificate two purplish red diamonds can be in completely different price levels – based on how red is the diamond. Generally speaking, a 0.20ct purplish red can cost about $300,000 per carat and 0.40ct about $500,000.
Another interesting fact about red diamonds is that they are so rare that even if the red color is the modifier, the secondary color, the price of the diamond spikes. As you can see in the picture of the reddish brown here which costs $30,000 per carat. No other color has such a dramatic effect as a modifier.

Recently, at the 2013 Argyle Pink Diamond Tender, a 1.56 carat red diamond known as the Argyle Phoenix, was sold the over $2,000,000 Dollars. While the exact price was not disclosed, we know that the buyer paid over $1.25 Million Dollars per carat!

To know more about the current prices of colored diamonds you are invited to stroll around the Naturally Colored online store

The post Are Colored Diamonds more Expensive? appeared first on Naturally Colored.

Let’s see what the fuss is all about:

Pink Star Diamond Specs

The Pink Star diamond is truly a one in a million diamond – or as it seems, one in $60 Million.
Here are the dry facts:

• Mined by De Beers in Botswana in 1999
• Originally weighed 132.5 carat
• Took two years to polish
• Polished into 59.60 carats
• Graded by the GIA as a pure Fancy Vivid Pink with Internally Flawless clarity
• Pink Star is classified as a type IIa diamond

Just watch it:

Pink Star’s Different Names and Different World Breaking Records

While most other notable, famous and expensive diamonds have origins dated back hundreds of years (for example the Dresden Green and The Hope Diamond), this “young” diamond is less than 20 years old.

However, during that time it has certainly made headlines (this is the fifth article we write about it!) and broke quite a few records:

1. It is the biggest fancy vivid pink diamond to ever be graded by the GIA
2. November 2013 it achieved the highest price tag a diamond had ever received when renowned diamanter Isaac Wolf made an offer of $83 Million. Upon purchase Isaac Wolf had changed its name to The Pink Dream. The next runner up came couple of years later – The Oppenheimer Blue Diamond that was sold for $57.5 Million.
3. Sale was canceled a few months later when Mr. Wolf defaulted on his payment (according to IDEX) making it the most expensive diamond ever unsold. As a result, diamond went into Sotheby’s inventory, its name was changed back to the Pink Star and The Oppenheimer Blue is the most expensive diamond.

Does The Pink Star Really Worth $60 Million?

I have to admit, back in 2013, the first time it was told that a $60 Million Dollars diamond is coming to the auction I was dazzled.
My initial thoughts were:

1. How can a diamond be worth that much?
2. Who will buy a $60 Million Dollar diamond?

But now, not only that I believe its worth more than that, we’ve also learned that there are people and even funds and groups of investors willing to spend that much out of the belief its even worth more than that.
In fact it was Isaac Wolf that got me convinced the first time. But not because he bought it for over $80 Million, but rather because what he said afterwards that simply made sense to me.

You see, the price per carat at $60 Million is simply $1 Million dollars per carat.
As odd as it may be when speaking in millions – it’s not much!

Pink diamonds are very rare. Pure fancy vivid pink diamonds barely exist. Internally flawless pink diamonds also barely exist. Pink diamonds above 10 carat barely exist. The combination of these three… well you guessed it – barely exists – well… We know of one that does!

Also, for those who don’t know, diamond prices set per carat and the higher a diamond’s carat weight, so does its price per carat. As a result, a 2 carat diamond price is far greater than two 1 carat diamonds together.

The only diamond that comes even near The Pink Star and it is The Graff Pink – a mesmerizing internally flawless fancy vivid pink diamond weighing 23.88 carats – less than half of the pink star’s weight. And it sold for over $46 million a few years back as an intense pink! Nearly $1.9 Million per carat which will place the Pink Star at over $100 Million!!!

Will it sell or not? For how much? And to whom? In approximately 10 days on April 4th at Sotheby’s Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels auction we’ll get these answers!

The post $60 Million Pink Star Diamond Goes to Auction (again…) appeared first on Naturally Colored.

Tiffany Yellow Diamond Ring

In a way, while there aren’t too many retailers specializing in natural colored diamonds. However, Tiffany and Yellow Diamonds have been “walking hands in hands” for a long time.

The start may have been with one of the most famous diamonds in the world – the Tiffany Yellow Diamond that was worn by Audrey Hepburn in the cult film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. And from there it developed into dazzling lines of yellow diamond rings like the TIFFANY SOLESTE®.

And then there was best actress nominee Natalie Portman – who just like Tiffany is classic and elegant.
She was wearing a Jackie Kennedy inspired yellow dress by Prada, cascading platinum diamond earrings and to perfectly complete the look, the bespoken yellow diamond ring.

The Red Carpet and Yellow Diamonds

The connection celebrities have with yellow diamonds is far from being a “new thing”.
Often, these are yellow diamonds engagement rings – like Clooney’s engagement ring to Amal Alamuddin or Iggy Azalea’s ring.

But interestingly, last year, on the same Red Carpet, beautiful J-Lo who also wore a yellow gown was wearing a set of yellow diamond ring and earrings…

Well, I still think that yellow doesn’t go nicely with red but yellow diamonds do go with everything!

The post Yellow Diamonds on the Red Carpet – 2017 Golden Globes Awards appeared first on Naturally Colored.

A photo posted by Natural Color Diamonds (@ljwestdiamonds) on Dec 7, 2016 at 11:47am PST

The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington DC recently had an exhibit called “The Splendor of Diamonds” which displayed 7 of the most important diamonds in the world today including the one and only Moussaieff Red.

Those diamonds were contributed by several owners but the most recent display will be at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles by NY jewelers L.J. West Diamonds in an exhibit called “Diamonds: Rare Brilliance”.

Diamonds: Rare Brilliance

The ‘Impossibly Rare’ Diamond – 2.83 carat Violet Diamond

The winners of the Impossibly Rare Argyle Violet Diamond in this year’s Argyle tender, L.J. West certainly have a covetable collection to exhibit.

The Argyle Violet is touted as the largest ever violet colored diamond that has ever been discovered at Rio Tinto’s Argyle mine in Kimberley, Western Australia. It was the hero diamond at this year’s Argyle diamond tender, as violet diamonds are one of the rarest colors of fancy color diamonds. Its size makes it a prize indeed and it is no wonder that it is a focal point of the exhibit.

Juliet Pink Diamond

Additional diamonds that will be on display include the Juliet Pink diamond, the Victorian Orchid Vivid Purple Diamond, and the Rainbow necklace. The President of L.J. West Diamonds, Larry West, was quoted as saying that he felt that these diamonds deserved to be on display to help change fancy color diamonds into something more real than just a story.

Indeed, fancy color diamonds make major headlines in the news but since they are so rare in nature, and are found in limited places around the world – comprising just 1% of all mined gem quality diamonds, hardly anyone ever gets to truly enjoy them.

The Argyle Violet is in good company. The Juliet Pink diamond is a treasure in and of itself, as it is a 30.03 carat Fancy Intense Pink oval shaped diamond with VVS2 clarity. The Victorian Orchid Vivid Purple is a 1.64-carat Fancy Vivid Purple diamond with SI2 clarity.

Purple diamonds are almost equally rare to violet diamonds and the two are often found in similar mines, although this is not the case with these two. The Rainbow necklace features more than 100 diamonds weighing approximately 36 carats in a multitude of colors.

So… which of the above is your favorite?

The post Rare Diamonds to Go on Display in Los Angeles appeared first on Naturally Colored.

Christie’s has concluded their Magnificent Jewels auction in Hong Kong, and despite weak sales they have still emerged with several fancy color diamonds that exceeded expectations. The highlight of the auction was the 4.29 carat Fancy Vivid Blue IF marquise shaped diamond that was offered by famous London jeweler Moussaieff, and it did not disappoint with its results. Another blue diamond, along with a yellow diamond and a pink diamond exceeded their price estimates as well, which was a positive indication of the state of demand for fancy color diamonds.

The Blue Diamond to Rule Them All?

Vivid Blue Diamond Ring, IF 4.29 carat
Image: Christie’s

The 4.29 carat Fancy Vivid Blue IF diamond ring by Moussaieff sold for $11.8 million, or $2.755 million per carat. While this is not the most expensive blue diamond ever sold, it is certainly a high price for such a diamond, although it can be justified by the fact that its color is a magnificent blue and that its clarity is a near perfect Internally Flawless.

Its price earned it two new record titles, the most expensive Fancy Vivid Blue diamond of 3-5 carats ever sold, and the most expensive price per carat for a Fancy Vivid Blue diamond of 3-5 carats. The Blue Moon of Josephine remains The most expensive blue diamond ever sold.

The diamond which sold last year at auction in Geneva for $48.5 million, and the most expensive blue diamond of 2016 was the Sky Blue diamond which sold two weeks ago in Geneva for $17 million.

Vivid Yellow Diamond Price is a Pleasant Surprise

A surprise for the evening was the final price for the 28.78 carat Fancy Vivid Yellow VVS1 emerald cut diamond.

Yellow diamond rings have a steady demand, but as a general rule their auction prices do not often exceed the auction house’s high estimates simply because they are not as rare as other colors.

Nevertheless, it sold for $2,028,708 or $70.5k per carat, a 35% premium over its $1.1 million to $1.5 million estimate. This confirms that yellow diamond value remains strong in the current market.

Fancy Blue in Demand

A diamond’s color and its intensity has a strong impact on its pricing – especially in colored diamonds.

However, the beauty of auctions is that demand is purely what drives the price of any particular item. In this case a fancy blue diamond performed very nicely!

A 5.19 carat Fancy Blue Diamond IF pear shaped diamond and it sold for $1,717,795 or $331k per carat. Considering that its estimation was between $900k to $1.15 million, its premium was 49%.

Fancy Intense Pink Diamond Record Set

By now, it’s no doubt that pink diamonds are always in fashion!

A 2.13 carat Fancy Intense Pink I1 diamond was auctioned together with a 2.21 carat G Color VS2 diamond as an interesting double-diamond ring. The two diamonds are of modest sizes and the auction house estimated the ring to sell at a price between $125k to $190k. It sold for $551,871 or $259k per carat, value that can be entirely attributed to the pink diamond there. Not only did the ring sell for a 190% premium over the high estimate, it set a record that evening. The previous most expensive Fancy Intense Pink 2-3 carat diamond was sold for $178k per carat, so the $259k price per carat is a 45% premium over the last record.

Pink and blue diamonds never cease to draw in big name bidders at the important diamond auctions. Time and again, the bar is set higher and higher as the demand for the best diamonds in the world grows larger. It remains to be seen how far these bidders will be willing to go in the years to come!

What do you think? Can these price trends continue to rise? Does it symbolize a recovery for the industry?

The post Diamond Prices Exceeding Expectations at Auction in Hong Kong appeared first on Naturally Colored.

Although the upcoming auction’s “star” is a blue diamond (Cartier’s Sky Blue Diamond Ring), pink diamonds have always been the most demanded diamond color, so it comes as no surprise that Sotheby’s was able to cultivate a spectacular array of these gems for its upcoming auction in Geneva.

With pressure in the form of last year’s incredible diamond records that were set at the very same auction, Sotheby’s most certainly had to acquire a momentous selection of diamonds and has succeeded. Collectors and investors alike will be satisfied with the diamonds are being offered by both auction houses, but those that are specifically interested in pink diamonds will be pleasantly surprised by the options that Sotheby’s will present at auction.

One Auction, 3 Dazzling Pink Diamonds!

Among Sotheby’s sizable collection of pink diamonds for the auction, a number of Fancy Intense Pink diamonds stand out. Normally, pink diamonds with such high intensity and clarity grades are extremely rare and nearly impossible to find. However, when their owners decide to part with them, they often find their way to the famous auction houses for sale.

This explains how no less than 3 of these high caliber diamonds have wound up at the auction this November. The fact that they appear in the same evening is slightly misleading as to the availability of such diamonds, but attendees at such events know all too well that the price wars for diamonds like these are extremely competitive and only the truly passionate diamond buyers win. Let’s take a look at 3 Fancy Intense Pink diamonds from the auction catalog.

1. 8.73 carat Fancy Intense Pink diamond, vvs2

The emerald cut 8.73 carat Fancy Intense Pink Diamond VVS2
Image: Sotheby’s

The first Fancy Intense Pink diamond is a beautiful 8.73 carat Fancy Intense Pink VVS2 emerald cut diamond set in a ring. The auction house has set its estimate between $2.5 million to $4.5 million, or $286k to $515k per carat. Considering the prices that Sotheby’s estimated for the other Fancy Intense Pink diamonds for the evening, and considering the enormous spread between its high and low estimate, it leads us to speculate as to what is going on here with the price.

We presume that either the color is a very light or weak Fancy Intense, making it look more like a Fancy Pink, and that the diamond will break its lowest estimate by a large margin. Alternatively, the color may be strong indeed and the high estimate may be an undervaluation, which would lead the diamond to break its higher estimate by a large margin. We’ll know more tomorrow…

2. 13.20 carat Fancy Intense Pink Diamond, IF

13.20ct Intense Pink Diamond, IF
Image: Sotheby’s

Our next spotlight on a pink diamond is for the 13.20 carat Fancy Intense Pink IF pear shaped diamond. Between this diamond’s high color intensity, IF clarity, and large 13+ carat size, it is a sure ticket to an intense bidding war.

These are all qualities that auction attendees seek and many members of the audience will have their eyes set on acquiring this gem. It’s unique pear shape, which is no small feat in the fancy color diamond world (most fancy color diamonds are cushion or radiant shaped) only adds value to an already desirable gem. Thus, the auction house has set its estimated price for $9 million – $14 million, or $682k to $1.06 million per carat.

It would be fascinating if the diamond broke the barrier for over $1 million per carat! A price like that would attest to the real value that the market applies to diamonds of this caliber.

3. 17.07ct Fancy Intense Pink Diamond, vvs1

17.07ct Fancy Intense Pink Diamond, vvs1
Image: Sotheby’s

Our final diamond is the spectacular 17.07 carat Fancy Intense Pink VVS1 emerald cut diamond. At double the size of the other intense pink emerald cut diamond of the evening, this diamond is truly going to stand out. Not only is it enormous, its pink color looks to be very strong and its very high clarity adds tremendous value. In fact, it is valued at a price well over 5 times the value of the 8.73 carat diamond. Sotheby’s has pinpointed its estimate at $12 million to $15 million, or $703k to $879k per carat (compared to the 8.73 carat diamond’s $2.5 million – $4.5 million!). It will be truly fascinating to see how the market values this high caliber stone, and whether it can meet or even exceed the auction house’s expectations.

The eyes of the entire world will be fixed on the diamonds up for auction on this fateful November evening, and expectations will be running high as to the prices that these pink diamonds will command. What do you think will

happen when these diamonds go under the hammer? Tell us in the comments!

The post 3 Huge Intense Pink Diamonds at Sotheby’s Geneva Auction appeared first on Naturally Colored.

Donald Trump – 2016 US presidential election
Image by By Gage Skidmore

A Republican presidential elect has many implications for the United States, but one that was also a successful and controversial businessman adds even more interesting layers to the mix. The question that most voters are asking themselves is how his presidency will affect their bottom lines? Will he improve the economy? Will he increase our ability to spend money on wants rather than just needs? I have my eye on some things that I want to buy!

Trump the Brand

Trump has run many different kinds of businesses, with varying degrees of success. Most importantly, he has built an empire and a personal brand of enormous proportions. It is very likely that because of Trump’s strong business skills and experience, he will be able to look carefully at the US economy and eliminate many of the current problems. If that does successfully happen, the natural result will be an increased job market, a nationwide rise in wages, a stronger stock market, stronger interest rates, and much more.

Wall Street
Image Source

Is it time for Luxury?

For people who want to buy luxury items like diamonds, this is the opportunity that they have been anticipating. Look no further for proof than to both China and India and their upper classes that have emerged as a result of incredible economic growth.

Now that vast numbers of Chinese and Indian citizens have more disposable income, they are finally able to buy the luxury items that have long been out of their reach. Great numbers of fancy color diamond sales have resulted in these areas, as people are embracing the dual aspect of buying fine items with everlasting financial value.

The same can be expected of an increasingly wealthy United States. As more disposable income will be available to the masses, people will naturally turn to spend their money on items that they desire but also on items that are objectively smart choices. The days with frivolously spent money are long gone in the wake of a difficult financial decade and the subsequent nationwide reawakening in personal financial matters.

Will Trump Affect Diamond Prices?

Assets like diamonds but specifically fancy color diamonds serve multiple purposes but most of all, they are an exciting purchase that promises to increase in value over time with absolutely no devaluation possible.

Similar to countries like China and India, citizens of the US will slowly begin to turn to assets like fancy color diamonds to consume their wealth responsibly. Naturally, diamond prices (and especially fancy color diamonds) will rise in turn seeing as how demand will increase, but that is only to the buyers’ and the trend’s benefit.

Increased purchases of fancy color diamonds, especially in the rarer diamond colors like pink, red, and blue, will further cement the importance of these kinds of investments on the world stage, as well as provide a boost for businesses who specialize in these goods.

The increased purchases will increase demand, and the trends in diamond pricing over the last half- to quarter-of-a-century will continue to flourish for the better, adding value to all incumbent fancy color diamond owners as well as diamond investors.

Conclusion

Will a Trump presidency positively affect the diamond industry? Only time will tell, but if past history can be taken as an indicator of future performance, which is coincidentally the entire premise of investments in any case, there is a good chance that this is exactly what will occur. More disposable income as a result of an improved economy, job market, and salary increases will mean more consuming and investing, which is exactly the recipe that the US needs for a good recovery.

But those are just hypothesis and only time will tell. One thing for certain, whether you wanted Trump or Hillary, we all want better economy!

The post Will President Trump Affect the Diamond Industry? appeared first on Naturally Colored.

A Time for Investment

The auctions in Geneva are the most exciting ones of the year, because they are the ones that attract the biggest diamond investors and diamond enthusiasts.

In fact, these Geneva auctions are notorious for earning extremely high diamond prices for the highest coveted diamonds that appear! It is well known that Sotheby’s and Christie’s reserve the best diamonds for these auctions, and for this reason, the entire world waits excitedly to see which diamonds these will be. The Christie’s catalog does not disappoint, with its star fancy color diamond an incredible and large pink diamond!

The Blue Moon of Josephine – Most Expensive Diamond in the World
Image: Sotheby’s

Pink diamonds and blue diamonds are the diamond colors that elicit the most excitement. Last year alone, an amazing $48.5 million was dropped on the Blue Moon of Josephine diamond at Sotheby’s in November, bringing it straight to the top of the most expensive diamonds list. Of course, this followed a purchase by the exact same buyer of the pink Sweet Josephine diamond the day before for $28.5 million. With results like that merely a year ago, it is anybody’s guess what this year will bring.

$18 Million for The 9.14ct Pink Diamond of the Hour

The 9.14 carat Fancy Vivid Pink VS2 pear shaped diamond
Image: Christie’s

The world is eagerly awaiting the debut of the 9.14 carat Fancy Vivid Pink VS2 pear shaped diamond that will be up for auction at Christie’s on November 15. Aside from its incredible beauty, its claim to fame is that it is the fifth largest ever vivid pink diamond to be sold at auction. Christie’s has valued it to sell for $16 million – $18 million, or $1.75 million to $1.97 million per carat.

The diamond has the potential to earn even its highest estimate. However, even if it does, it would not earn the title of the most expensive Fancy Vivid Pink diamond to ever sell at auction.

The Unique Pink
Image: Sotheby’s

That title belongs to the Unique Pink diamond, which was sold for $31.56 million. Considering that the Unique Pink is 15.38 carats, about 1.5 times the size of this diamond, it is hard to imagine that this diamond will earn a similar amount. However, perhaps it will make headlines and even gain an exciting title along the way!

What do you think? Does this diamond deserve to be the center of the auction’s attention?

The post $18 Million for a 9.14ct Pink Diamond – Christie’s Geneva appeared first on Naturally Colored.

Cartier Sky Blue Diamond Ring
By Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s has officially announced their lineup of beautiful diamonds and diamond jewelry, and as expected, has included some impressive fancy color diamonds on the list. The standouts are the headliner, the Sky Blue Diamond, and two pink diamonds. Generally speaking, the auction houses reserve the most spectacular gems of the year for the Geneva auctions because these auctions have long ago acquired a reputation for monumental pieces making big headlines in the news for record breaking prices.

About Sky Blue Diamond Ring

The most exciting piece of the night is the Sky Blue Diamond, an 8.01 carat Fancy Vivid Blue Type IIb square shaped emerald cut diamond ring by Cartier.

The auction house estimates that the diamond will sell for $25 million, following in the footsteps of blue diamonds of previous years. Just last year, the Blue Moon of Josephine diamond broke all known diamond records when it sold for $28.5 million, the current highest price ever paid for a blue diamond, and the hypothetical price for the Sky Blue diamond to beat. In the words of the Sotheby’s chairman of their international jewelry division David Bennet, the Sky Blue diamond is ‘a celestial blue’ and is a very flattering cut.

Notable Pinks to Follow

17.07ct Fancy Intense Pink Diamond, VVS1

The next noteworthy diamond is the 17.07 carat Fancy Intense Pink VVS1 emerald cut diamond. It is estimated to sell at a price between $12 million and $15 million. Given its large size and excellent pink color, it comes as no surprise that the diamond is expected to fetch such a high price. It is a matter of course that large pink diamonds demand some of the highest prices on the market. Even though the color intensity is Intense and not Vivid, the diamond is still delightful and will perform well.

13.20ct Internally Flawless Fancy Intense Pink Diamond

The final fancy color diamond highlight of the evening is the 13.20 carat Fancy Intense Pink IF pear shaped diamond. Not only does this diamond exhibit beautiful color and shape, its competitive advantage is in its clarity relative to its size. It is very rare to find such a large diamond with such good clarity, and the Internally Flawless clarity grade will be what pushes this diamond to its $14 million estimated price. Clarity is not usually such an important factor in the valuation of fancy color diamonds, unless it is an extremely good clarity as it is in this case. Therefore, there is tremendous importance behind the IF clarity of this diamond.

It is always a pleasure to see beautiful pink and blue diamonds at auction, and the ones that Sotheby’s has chosen for November 16 are truly magnificent. It remains to be seen whether diamond buyers will behave as in previous years, willing to lay down large sums of money to acquire their desired gems, or if Geneva will witness a different type of auction result this year. What do you think?

More information regarding the sale and the Sky Blue Diamond can be found at Sotheby’s

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