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.

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?

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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.

104 carat diamond discovered by Lucapa Diamond Company
Image by Lucapa Diamond Company

The discovery was made at their Lulo Diamond Project , located in Angola’s Lunda Norte diamond heartland and east of the Angolan capital of Luanda. It is the fifth diamond larger than 100 carats to be discovered there as the company is digging for the kimberlite pipeline where the diamonds in the mine originate.

Amazing & Colorful Discoveries

The 104 carat colorless diamond was classified as a Type IIa diamond – the same type as other extraordinary diamonds such as the priceless Hope Diamond and the Graff Pink.

It is the second important diamond discovered at the mine this month. Earlier in September, Lucapa found a 38.6 carat rough pink diamond, the largest fancy color diamond ever discovered at the mine.

How Much a 104 carat Diamond Worth?

The most impressive find of the year was the 404 carat rough colorless diamond that was discovered in February, which sold for $16 million. Based on that final sales price, a rough estimate for the value of this diamond is about $4 million, which will depend on many factors such as the potential for the polished diamonds and market demand for a rough diamond of this size.

After all, the 1,109 carat rough diamond called the Lesedi la Rona failed to sell this summer when it went up for auction. The diamond, which was discovered at the end of 2015 by Lucara Diamond Corp failed to sell either due to its high reserve price or because of the lack of market demand for such a diamond.

The Lesedi La Rona on display at Sotheby’s
Image credit: Sotheby’s

However, there is no reason to believe that the new Lucapa diamond will follow suit because a 104 carat diamond has a much stronger demand than a diamond over 1000 carats, as unbelievable as that may seem. The reality is that fewer bidders are able to afford such an impressive diamond so if the small pool of candidates is not interested, then a diamond will simply fail to sell. However, a respectable 104 carat diamond falls into the price range of many suitable bidders and will most probably sell with no issue, as the 404 carat diamond did in February.

The striking 104 carat diamond is an excellent find for the small Australian company based in Perth and will go a long way towards establishing them as a force to contend with. Will it sell and for how much – time will tell…

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Like at any good awards ceremony, Hollywood’s beauties were present in their absolute finest, and that included some incredible jewelry. The most notable trends were stackable diamond bracelets, with some celebrities wearing as much as 3 diamond bracelets on one or both wrists, multi finger rings, many rings on many fingers, and statement earrings. Hardly any necklaces were seen at all and colorful jewelry was present in abundance.

Sophie Turner shines in Yellow!

A photo posted by Ei HOLLYWOOD (@eihollywood) on Oct 3, 2016 at 4:12pm PDT

The famous Game of Thrones actress wore a black lace Valentino gown and accessorized with a show stopping yellow diamond ring by Forevermark and earring set and finished with a yellow diamond necklace.

The huge fancy intense yellow diamond on her ring was set in a halo setting with a unique pave diamond row on the wide yellow gold band. Her drop earrings were similarly large fancy intense yellow diamonds with a halo setting, but her necklace was a unique design comprised of pear shaped yellow diamonds and round brilliant yellow diamonds.

Joanne Froggat

A photo posted by Ei HOLLYWOOD (@eihollywood) on Oct 2, 2016 at 4:18pm PDT

The beloved Downton Abbey star chose incredible Neil Lane black diamond earrings to match her black Stella McCartney dress. The pendant style earrings consisted of large pear shaped black diamonds decorated with a pave diamond halo and suspended from small round black diamonds. Black diamonds make occasional appearances on the red carpet and these were a pleasant and welcome surprise.

Kristen Bell

A photo posted by @italkfashionandstyle on Oct 4, 2016 at 10:22pm PDT

The star of House of Lies and mother of two was one of the best dressed women of the evening wearing a skin colored floral Zuhair Murad gown and diamond Harry Winston cluster earrings, a Harry Winston pave diamond ring, a Harry Winston diamond statement ring, and a Harry Winston diamond statement cuff.

Michelle Dockery

The famous Downton Abbey star looked refined and regal as usual in a black and white ruffled Oscar de la Renta down and bejeweled belt which she accessorized with Harry Winston jewels. She also chose diamond cluster earrings, but accessorized simply with two Harry Winston diamond rings, a solitaire diamond ring and a three stone diamond ring.

Tina Fey

A photo posted by Ei HOLLYWOOD (@eihollywood) on Oct 3, 2016 at 4:12pm PDT

The comedienne proved that she definitely knows how to dress formal with her Emmy’s ensemble. She chose a deep-V green Oscar de la Renta gown and accessorized with stunning Lorraine Schwartz emerald drop earrings.

The emeralds look fabulous in their unpolished form, with a deep green color shining through even in their unpolished state. Occasionally, gems are set as jewelry without being polished with varying degrees of success, and these earrings are an example of excellence.

Tori Kelly

A photo posted by Ei HOLLYWOOD (@eihollywood) on Oct 2, 2016 at 12:30pm PDT

The singer, who was honored with the evening’s ‘In Memoriam’ tribute for all of the actors and entertainers who passed away over the past year, made sure to choose a universally stylish look. Her black velvet mermaid gown by Paule Ka was accessorized by impressive diamond drop earrings by Arzano and three diamond bracelets and a diamond cuff by Norman Silverman. All of her choices were tasteful and beautiful.

Sarah Paulson

A photo posted by Ei HOLLYWOOD (@eihollywood) on Oct 2, 2016 at 7:46am PDT

Sarah’s extremely embellished green gown was artfully paired with geometric style brown diamond drop earrings from Wilfredo Rosado. The pave diamond design framed three brown diamond in each ear for a completely classy and original look that was elegant and interesting.

Celebrities are definitely not the only ones who are privileged to wear fancy color diamond jewelry, as recent years have made this type of jewelry more popular among all consumers and therefore more widely available with jewelry retailers. Like any of the styles you see?

The post Colorful Diamonds and Gems Glowed on the 2016 Emmy’s Red Carpet appeared first on Naturally Colored.

The Geneva auctions are also known to feature the most pieces above $1 million in value. This May 17, Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels auction will feature an amazing 30+ items valued at over $1 million! Three of these are even worth above $10 million! Let’s have a closer look.

One Auction – Three Colored Diamonds Worth Over $10 Million

The last item being offered at the auction is the always the auction’s star. Bidders wait anxiously for the final lot to come under the hammer, and only big players with major liquidity ever manage to acquire these extremely impressive diamonds or gemstones.

“The Unique Pink”

The Unique Pink
Image: Sotheby’s

“The Unique Pink” is definitely the star of this Sotheby’s auction. Its claim to fame is that it is the largest Fancy Vivid Pink pear shaped diamond to ever be offered at auction. The Unique Pink is a 15.38 carat Fancy Vivid Pink Diamond, pear shaped and with VVS2 clarity. The estimated value for it by the auction house is between $28 million to $38 million, or $1.82 million to $2.47 million per carat.

SEE ALSO: Is there a problem with 5 carat pink diamonds?

The spread in valuation encompasses and surpasses the current record holders in the pink diamond category for price per carat for a pink diamond but not for total price paid for a pink diamond. The current record holder for price per carat is the 5.00 carat Fancy Vivid Pink diamond sold back in 2009 for $2.155 million. The current record holder for the total price for a pink diamond is still held by the Graff Pink at $46.16 million, which exceed Sotheby’s high estimates for the Unique Pink. However, it remains to be seen whether a buyer will want the Unique Pink so badly that they will exceed even the Graff Pink’s total price.

7.32 carat Internally Flawless Vivid Blue Diamond

7.32 carat Fancy Vivid Blue Diamond IF
Image credit: Sotheby’s

The next highest valued diamond does not have a special name like the pink diamond. Lot #494 is an exceptional 7.32 carat Fancy Vivid Blue Internally Flawless pear shaped diamond. The diamond is valued by the auction house at a price between $15 million to $25 million, or $2.05 million to $3.415 million per carat.

In order to beat a world record, it would have to surpass the current record holder in the 5-10 carat Fancy Vivid Blue diamond category. This honor is held by the 9.75 carat Zoe Diamond, which sold for $3.35 million per carat. Maybe this pear shaped diamond can beat the Zoe’s record since it has an Internally Flawless clarity, as opposed to the Zoe’s VS1 clarity. That may count toward someone’s inclination to pay.

Blue Diamond Brooch by Alexandre Reza

The third most interesting diamond of the evening is Lot #405. It is a blue diamond brooch made by brooch was made by Alexandre Reza, featuring a 6.64 carat Fancy Intense Blue SI1 marquise shaped diamond. The center stone is flanked by a 2.01 carat Fancy Intense Blue VVS2 and a 1.01 carat Fancy Intense Blue VS2 pear shaped diamonds. It is valued between $10 million to $14 million dollars. Its ultimate price will be attracted by the color rather than the low clarities, which also means that it probably will not break records in the Fancy Intense Blue 5-10 carat category.

6.64 carat Fancy Intense Blue marquise shaped diamond brooch by Alexandre Reza

The Emperor Ruby

Finally, the honorable mention for the evening is the “Emperor Ruby”. In the last 2 years, rubies have been gaining traction and breaking records. This can largely be attributed to the worldwide desire for colored gems and they are looking toward gemstones to get the qualities of both color and size at a more affordable price. The current record holder is the 25.59 carat “Sunrise Ruby” at $1.185 million per carat. The 7.03 carat Emperor Ruby is valued at $5m to $8 million and if it sells for its high estimate, it can break the Sunrise Ruby’s record.

The 7.03 carat Emperor Ruby
Image credit: Sotheby’s

Will any of these diamonds break a record? Will the Emperor Ruby steal the show from the pink and blue diamonds? Tell us what you think in the comments!

The post Will Sotheby’s Geneva Jewels Auction Meet Fancy Color Diamond Demand? appeared first on Naturally Colored.

The Lesedi La Rona on display at Sotheby’s
Image credit: Sotheby’s

Due to its massive size and the fact that no diamond like this has ever gone up for auction in history, Sotheby’s’ rough estimate for the selling price of the diamond is $70 million. The auction house calls the diamond “the find of a lifetime” and says that it is the second largest gem-quality diamond to ever be discovered.

Enormous Expectations in the Rough

Sotheby’s expects that the 1,109 carat diamond will yield the largest top-quality diamond that has ever been cut and polished. Currently, the largest diamond that was ever known to be discovered is the 3,106 carat Cullinan diamond that was unearthed in South Africa in 1905 and cut into 9 smaller diamonds that were incorporated in the British Crown Jewels. This would make the Lesedi La Rona (Tswanian for “our light”) the largest rough and polished diamond to be owned by anyone aside from the British monarchy.

The auction house is anticipating the diamond to substantially break the record set by the Blue Moon of Josephine diamond in November, which sold for a total of $48.5 million. The $70 million predicted price is significantly higher, and that is just for the rough version of this diamond. If the diamond is polished to the projected 400 carat final product which is predicted for it, its price will rise in tandem as the polish on the diamond adds major value to the diamond itself.

Seeing as how no 400 carat diamond has ever been sold (especially not at auction, and especially not to the public at large), it is extremely hard to put a value on it. When the time comes, the principles of market demand will be what determine the diamond’s final value: the highest value that anyone is willing to pay for it.

For proportions though (or for the sake of fair play), it is important to note that the weight of the Blue Moon is 12.03 carats – showing once again the it’s all about the diamond’s color.

The 1,109 carat Lesedi La Rona in its rough state
Image credit: Lucara Diamonds

The Lesedi La Rona Diamond Takes the Tour

In the meantime, the Lesedi La Rona remains in its rough state and will tour the world before it is finally offered for auction at Sotheby’s in London. It is attracting enormous amounts of attention due to its size and much speculation as to how it can be cut to maximize its carat weight, its color, and its clarity. Whomever purchases it will need a team of expert diamond polishers to study it carefully and will then take up to a year to polish it to perfection. Most likely, as soon as it is finished it will return to the public eye for sale once again. We can’t wait to see its final price and how it is ultimately polished!

What do you think? Will the Lesedi La Rona sell for $70 million? Is there anyone with the money to pay that much for just a rough diamond?

The post 1,109 carat & $70 Million – World’s 2nd Largest Diamond appeared first on Naturally Colored.

The Jubiliee Ruby

In keeping with recent trends of the last two years, Christie’s is hoping that the gemstone will break record prices per carat due to its beauty and rarity. Coupled with some amazing fancy color diamond jewelry like yellow diamond rings, yellow diamond earrings, and pink diamond rings, Christie’s will be doing its best to prove that it has what it takes to stand next to Sotheby’s incredible offerings this auction season. The star of the auction is there 15.99 carat ruby named the ‘Jubilee Ruby’, which will be the first notable gemstone at auction this year and possibly set a trend for the rest of the year!

Noteworthy Yellow Diamond Rings

39.12ct intense yellow diamond ring

The first lot of the morning session is the 39.12 carat Fancy Intense Yellow IF diamond ring valued at between $800k to $1.2 million, or $20.5k to $30.7k per carat. Seasoned diamond buyers and sellers will notice that this valuation is modest rather than the usual optimistic estimate that auction houses take. It is possible that they went this route because they felt that the color was weak for a Fancy Intense Yellow diamond, or because Christie’s is trying to theatrically shatter its high estimate to get into the media.

We will note here that this is not the only piece of diamond jewelry at auction that Christie’s chose to value in this way, probably for the same 2 reasons.

The other particularly noteworthy yellow diamond ring is Lot #169; a rectangular 30.48 carat VS2 Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond ring. It is valued at $1 million to $1.4 million, or $32k to $46k per carat, which is again a modest price for a Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond of this size and caliber. Like we noted previously, perhaps the color is weak or Christie’s is looking to make a splash with the price.

30.48 carat Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond Ring

That being said, there is another interesting point to note. The GIA certificate that accompanies the diamond is dated January 6, 2016, making it either a newly cut diamond, or even possibly a re-cut diamond. Occasionally, diamonds are re-cut or re-polished to improve the color or clarity, which may have been the case for this diamond (and would explain its weak Fancy Vivid color). The date also indicates that this ring is a recent addition to the auction inventory, as the certificates are issued when the auction house sends the pieces in for evaluation.

Yellow Diamond Earrings

Among the auction listings we also found two interesting pairs of yellow diamond earrings worth mentioning. The first is Lot #48, a pair of Fancy Intense Yellow diamond earrings. One center diamond is a 16.48 carat Fancy Intense Yellow IF modified cushion shaped diamond and the other 16.04 carat Fancy Intense Yellow VS2 modified cushion shaped diamond. Together, their value is estimated between $650k and $750k, or $20k to $23k per carat. Again we see that the GIA certificates are dated December 24, 2015 and January 6th, 2016, meaning that Christie’s only took possession of the earrings relatively soon before the auction. This was significant to point out twice because it shows a distinct change from years past. Formerly, auction houses took possession of the items at least 6 months before the auction date in order to give them time to properly evaluate and promote the jewelry. As of late, auction houses are publishing their catalogs at most 30 days before the date of the auction! This indicates the scarcity of fancy color diamonds that are worthy of auctioning. They are in such high demand that their owners are not willing to sell them and there aren’t enough of them to sell at every auction in every auction house throughout the year. This simple fact is yet more proof that fancy color diamonds, from pink diamonds to yellow diamonds, blue diamonds, and beyond, are in higher demand than ever, and only increasing.

Our second spotlight for yellow diamond earrings is on Lot #168. They stand out for numerous reasons, but the most important one is their shape. It is very rare in the world of fancy color diamonds to see them cut in the round brilliant shape. Unlike in colorless diamonds, where it is ideal to see the least color possible, fancy color diamonds are cut with the intention to hold in as much of the color as they can. Thus, round brilliant diamonds are most commonly cut in the round brilliant shape and fancy color diamonds mostly in cushion cut and radiant cut. When a fancy color diamond is a round brilliant, its color is so extraordinary that it can hold up to the shape.

The earrings this case are a perfectly matched pair of Fancy Vivid Yellow diamonds, each weighing exactly 3.01 carats, but one with a VS1 clarity and one with a VS2 clarity. Together, they are valued between $550k and $650k, or $91k to $108k per carat. Unlike the case of the 2 rings that we mentioned above, these earrings received a relatively generous valuation. The diamonds probably exhibit amazing color intensity when viewed in person.

The Jubilee Ruby

Although it is not a fancy color diamond, the headline piece of the evening is certainly worth mentioning. The now famous 15.99 carat ruby named “The Jubilee Ruby” is a ruby that originated from the Mogok village of Burma. Rubies from Burma command some of the highest prices at auction, as their reputation is for the best color and gem characteristics. Although “pigeon red” rubies are usually the ones to gain the highest prices, and the Jubilee was not qualified as such, Christie’s has emphasized its Mogok origin in order to emphasize its appeal and beauty. It is valued at $12 million to $15 million, and Christie’s hopes that it will break the current record holder for price per carat by a ruby

The record price per carat is currently held by the 25.59 carat ruby named the Sunrise Ruby. The Sunrise Ruby was sold by Sotheby’s for $30.336 million, or $1.185 million per carat in Geneva on May 12, 2015. If the Jubilee Ruby were to break the record, it would need to sell for no less than $19 million in order to have a higher per-carat price.

Christie’s has chosen some fabulous yellow diamonds for its auction despite the fact that it seems that their options were quite limited for its April auction. Time and again we see that fancy color diamonds are getting harder to find, and that they are being bought no matter what because they are in such high demand. Unlike other diamond retailers, we recognize the fact that anyone may be interested in buying fancy color diamonds jewelry, not just those who attend auctions, and we serve to fulfill this need by offering our jewelry to the general public. Although only a few pieces of fancy color diamond jewelry are offered at these auctions at a time, more pieces are available when bought outside of such a public setting. In fact, the majority of diamond transactions are not done at auction and that is how the majority of people’s needs are met. Let us know what you are looking for and we will find the perfect piece of jewelry for your needs.

Will the Jubilee Ruby break the Sunrise Ruby’s record? Are the dates on the diamond certificates proof that the options for auction houses are getting slimmer? Tell us what you think in the comments!

The post The Jubilee Ruby or Yellow Diamonds Will Give Christie’s the Edge? appeared first on Naturally Colored.

The new headliner is a 10.10 carat Fancy Vivid Blue oval shaped diamond named the “DeBeers Millennium Jewel 4”

The De-Beers Millennium Jewel 4

The De Beers Millennium Jewels collection

The diamond earned its name and is famous for being part of the De Beers Millennium Jewels collection, a collection of 12 diamonds that were put on display in London in their Millennium Dome on the eve of the year 2000 to celebrate the turn of the millennium.

The collection of diamonds, all mined by De Beers, consists of 1 colorless diamond and 11 blue diamonds. Since blue diamonds are extremely rare, this makes the collection absolutely spectacular. The star of the collection and one of the most famous diamonds in the world is aptly named the Millennium Star, and is a 203.04 carat D color pear shaped diamond.

The collection was saved from the world’s biggest potential diamond heist when the London police intercepted a gang that was planning on stealing them from the Dome. The diamonds are currently owned by a private Asian collector but one of them, the De Beers Millennium Jewel 11, was sold in 2010.

The De Beers Millennium Jewel 4, which is the next one from the collection that will be auctioned, is currently being valued between $30 million – $35 million by Sotheby’s. This is very unusual, and only characteristic of blue diamonds, which have seen a huge spike in demand thanks to the Blue Moon of Josephine. It is even exceptional for this auction, as it is valued at about 8 times the amount of the next lot on the auction!

In order to break the world record for most expensive diamond set in November 2015 by the 12.03 carat Fancy Vivid Blue diamond, the Blue Moon of Josephine, the De Beers Millennium Jewel 4 would have to sell for over $48.5 million. If it were to break the Blue Moon’s per carat record price, it would need to sell for over $40.7 million total. Only time will tell the result!

A Dazzling Yellow Collection

While blue diamonds often take the spotlight for being the most expensive diamonds, with all the respect (and there is a lot of respect…), whether for color or affordability – for every one buyer of a blue diamond there are about hundred looking to buy a yellow diamond.

Add the fact that yellow diamond engagement rings are among the most sought after colored diamond engagement rings and because and that the yellow diamonds have been very popular in the Asian market – Sotheby’s had put together an amazing collection. Here are my top picks for most intriguing pieces:

1. My first focus is on a diamond that was actually already offered at auction once before. I was sold in Geneva at auction in November 2014 for $1.375 million. The 10.30 carat Fancy Vivid Yellow VS1 emerald cut diamond is currently being estimated to sell at a price between $1.3 million to $2.05 million, or $125k to $200k per carat. Its high valuation is due to the deep yellow color of the diamond and probably also because of the brand, since it was originally a Graff diamond.

   
   2016 Setting
   
   2014 Setting
2. The next yellow diamond is a beautiful 7.03 Fancy Vivid Yellow IF Emerald cut diamond. It is being offered at a very reasonable price of $848k -$925k total, or $121k to $132k per carat, nowhere near the world record per carat for Fancy Vivid Yellow diamonds of over $250k per carat.
3. 

   A pair of yellow diamond earrings. Fancy color diamond earrings are always exceptional because it is exceedingly difficult to find two color diamonds that are similar enough to be considered a pair since every color diamond is so unique.

   This particular set of earrings is composed of Fancy Intense Yellow diamonds, one 13.35 carat and one a 12.03 carat diamond, and both VVS2 clarity. They are valued at $835k to $899k total, although it remains to be seen how much the final buyer will be willing to pay for them.

An Exotic and Colorful Finish

Thought there are 272 lots in the auction and most are truly magnificent – I cannot cover all… But I could not bear the thought of not showing these next three items:

1. A 1.80 carat deep blue diamond ring estimated at $1 Million (give or take a few thousands)
2. A huge 4.90 carat pure intense green diamond estimated at $2.7-$3.6 Million
3. A 4.08 carat pure vivid orange like we have not seen since the sale of “The Orange”

We are certainly looking forward to finding out how these diamonds will do at auction in April. Will the record set by the Blue Moon of Josephine in November be broken by the De Beers Millennium Jewel 4? Will yellow diamonds continue to earn fair prices at auction? We can’t wait to find out!

* Images courtesy of Sotheby’s. For full information about this amazing auction visit here

The post Will Sotheby’s Keep Up its 2015 Momentum in 2016? appeared first on Naturally Colored.

As this year’s Grammy’s occurred very shortly after the passing of beloved musician David Bowie, much of the evening was dedicated to him, whether it was in outfits that were inspired by him, or outright musical tributes. However, the most important achievement of the evening was that of pop music mega senasation Taylor Swift, who with her win of Album of the Year became the first female musician ever to win 2 Grammy Awards for Album of the Year.

A photo posted by The GRAMMY Awards (@thegrammys) on Feb 7, 2016 at 4:07pm PST

In her triumphant acceptance speech, she offered words of encouragement both for women and for aspiring artists to continue reaching for their dreams, even if others attempt to hold them back or to take credit for their work.

The night was also characterized by the usual embrace by Hollywood’s top celebrities of fashion experimentation that is unique to this red carpet event. In favor of the usual traditional evening gown ensembles, many celebrities choose to experiment with interesting creations by top designers, or to dress in trendier styles.

This year’s fashion choices included the usual gowns but also cocktail dresses, jumpsuits, blazers, cocktail dresses, cutout dresses and even a crop top a la Taylor Swift. However, no outfit, whether traditional or not, is ever complete with a woman’s crowning accessory, her jewelry. As usual, all of the fashionable women of Hollywood selected beautiful diamond and gemstone jewelry to wear on the red carpet, regardless of how dressy or casual their ensemble was. Fancy color diamonds made their appearance as they always do, in good company with many pieces of colorless diamond jewelry, and some surprising gemstone jewelry pieces. Here is a look at the top jewelry pieces of the evening.

Carrie Underwood’s Yellow Diamonds

A photo posted by The GRAMMY Awards (@thegrammys) on Feb 15, 2016 at 4:00pm PST

The country music actress that is famous for her canary yellow diamond engagement ring returned to her old favorite with her gorgeous bespoke necklace. The piece of jewelry was her Valentine’s Day gift from her husband of 7 years, hockey player Mike Fisher, and was custom designed by him and jewelry designer Johnathan Arndt. The necklace features 16 pear shaped Burmese rubies, pave set colorless diamonds, and a centerpiece of an approximately 12 carat fancy intense yellow diamond. As this is a privately owned piece by the singer, the exact details of the necklace are unknown, but it is estimated that it is worth $31 million. She wore it beautifully with her strapless black evening dress by Nicolas Jebran.

Janelle Monae’s Black Diamond Ring

A photo posted by Janelle Monáe (@janellemonae) on Feb 15, 2016 at 9:07pm PST

The other appearance of fancy color diamonds of the evening was by singer-actress Janelle Monae. In keeping with her usual black and white ensembles, Janelle wore a Jean Paul Gaultier cocktail dress and coordinated the look with a set of black diamond and colorless diamond earrings and ring by Pasquale Bruni, and supplemented the look with additional colorless diamond rings by Carrera y Carrera. She certainly channeled the value of black diamonds with her look of the evening.

Taylor Swift

A photo posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Feb 15, 2016 at 3:47pm PST

The record setting country music sensation went with a very colorful look for the awards ceremony, between her crop top and ball gown skirt and her chunky Lorraine Schwartz jewelry. She paired her bespoke coral and magenta Atelier Versace two piece outfit with a 2016’s hottest jewelry trend, a choker, and large cocktail rings. The choker is composed of multicolored bezel set gemstones and the rings are solitaire brightly colored gemstone rings. The jury is out about whether her outfit was a hit or a miss, but her jewelry was right on point!

Bella Hadid

A photo posted by The GRAMMY Awards (@thegrammys) on Feb 15, 2016 at 4:12pm PST

Credit for creative but colorless diamond jewelry choices goes to the 19 year old sister of model Gigi Hadid, herself a model and an aspiring Olympic equestrian. She paired her edgy cutout black Alexandre Vauthier dress with iconic jewelry from Bulgari, specifically large diamond stud earrings, a big serpent diamond cuff bracelet, and coordinating serpent diamond ring. Her look was in line with her usual style and perfect for the evening.

Demi Lovato

A photo posted by Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) on Feb 17, 2016 at 8:57am PST

This singer-actress was one of a number of attendees that wore not just one but two outfits to the event, due to the fact that she performed onstage. Her first outfit of the evening was a black Norisol Ferrari blazer and slit maxi skirt with jewelry by Loree Rodkin, but her jewelry with her second outfit was far more interesting. She continued with the two piece theme for her clothing but accessorized with an unbelievable statement diamond necklace from Forevermark that glittered for miles.

Of course, all of the women at the event looked absolutely glamorous, between their beautiful fashion choices and stunning jewelry. We cant wait for the next big event to see what designers will come up with next! What were your favorites? Tell us in the comments!

The post The Spotlight Stealing Jewelry of the 2016 Grammy’s appeared first on Naturally Colored.