Pink Diamonds Wiki

Pink diamonds are real, though they are extremely rare. In fact, they are so rare and so desired that aside for natural pink diamonds that can be found in nature, it became economically physible to manufacture them in labs and therefore there are also man-made lab-grown pink diamonds.

If you've ever set sights on natural pink diamonds, then you've certainly been mesmerized by their magic. These diamonds evoke a sense of romance and luxury - and for good reason.

Their scarcity and stunning beauty make these colored diamonds spectacular additions to any collection. Not to mention, they are highly valuable. In fact, according to The Argyle Diamond Mine, a pink diamond can cost 20 times the price of its white equivalent (as far as can be compared).

Adding to the intrigue and desirability of pink diamonds is the fact that there is limited gemological information about them.

What is known, however, is nothing short of fascinating. Read on to discover the allure of pink diamonds.

When "regular" diamonds are graded for color, they are given letters from D to Z that represents their color.

However, as with other colored diamonds, pink diamonds are also graded for the intesity of the color which can be graded faint, very light, light, fancy light, fancy intense, fancy deep and fancy vivid. And like other hues, the stronger the color, the higher the price tag.

Pink diamonds often feature secondary hues - an additional modifying color. The most common modifying colors are orange, brown and purple. These diamonds would be described in the certificate as orange pink, brown pink and purple pink (note that the main color is the last one mentioned). And if the modifier color is very weak it would be described as orangy, brownish or purplish.

However, color description is not enough. Just look at the examples below and you'll understand what it is often said that no two fancy colored diamonds are alike. First three are all purple pink variations, second three diamonds are all orange pink variations and the last three are brown pink diamonds variations:

While we do know how colored diamonds get their color, for example blue diamonds get their color from traces of boron, yellow diamonds from Nitrogen, and the displacement of carbon atoms causes the color in green diamonds, to this day it is unclear how pink diamonds get theirs. No traces of elements have ever been found in pink diamonds...

It is believed that while the diamond is forced to the Earth's surface, due to intense heat and pressure the structure of the diamond is somehow altered, causing a deformation in the diamond's crystal lattice. This "flaw" forces the stone to absorb light differently and emit the pink hue.

Natural pink diamonds can be found in Brazil, Russia, Siberia, South Africa, Tanzania and Canada. However, the majority of these breathtaking stones hail, or at least the most renowned ones come from the Argyle Mine in Australia, which is owned by Rio Tinto. The firm's headquarters is also in Perth, Western Australia.

Here, the finest quality pink diamonds from the Argyle mine are cut and polished before they are sold via an exclusive tender. For proportions and to understand the rarity of pink diamonds, out of every 1 million carats of rough diamonds that the mine produces, just 1 carat is suitable to sell.

As the company website reported, tendered pink diamonds are an average of 1 carat, and a total of about 40 to 50 carats are sold at auction annually. So how much do these diamonds rake in? Anywhere between $100,000 per carat to over $1,000,000 per carat, depending on the color intensity, cut, clarity and other factors (to understand more thoroughly how pink diamonds are graded and valued, please check our pink diamonds buying guide).

In recent years, there has been a rising concern about the availability of these gems - which could mean a sudden spike in interest and surge in prices as collectors scramble to possess one of their own before the supply runs out. Fortunately, Jeweller Magazine reported that Rio Tinto has opened an underground diamond mine in the east Kimberley region of Western Australia, with operation slated to continue through 2020 or potentially longer. The company expects to produce up to 20 million carats per year, a small percentage of which will include rare pink diamonds.

Pink diamonds prices are set as with all commodities which means that they are affected by supply and demand.

As discussed above, the supply of these magnificent pink gemstones is very limited and in fact it's about to decrease with the closure of the Argyle Diamond Mine. Still... let's examine their supply and demand:

And to give some proportions as for how rare they are (i.e. supply side), consider that it is said that about 1 out of 10,000 carats is a natural fancy colored diamond. Meaning that about 0.01% of the diamonds are fancy color diamonds. Majority of these belong to the more commonly found colors such as yellow and champagne. And then there are the fare more exquisite colors like pink, blue and red.

So while there is no clear number, even if we assume that one out of ten mined fancy color diamonds is a pink diamond, it makes them at 0.001% of fashioned diamonds.

As for the demand, it's actually increasing. There are several reasons that may support or cause the increase in demand:

1. Diversity in the market of engagemnet rings -
   Engagement rings still make a big portion of the diamond industry. And now... no more "plain old" classic colorless diamonds on a solitaire ring. Engagement rings of today have crazy designs and outstanding colors whether due to the usage of colored diamonds of birthstones. Nothing is classier or more "old school" than the English crown yet princess Kate Middleton got engaged with a gorgeous sapphire.
2. Trendy fashion items -
   Every time a celebrity get's a fancy color diamond ring, whether an engagement ring or a wedding ring, it makes headlines and the demand spikes. It happened with Vanessa Bryant's purple ring and with pinks it was back in 2002 when Ben Affleck gave a 6.1-carat pink diamond to Jennifer Lopez (and a few others which are mentioned at the bottom).

So supply is very limited, and the demand is on the rise. Now let's dwell deeper:

Among the most valuable colored diamonds are pink ones. Even those that weigh less than 1 carat often command jaw-dropping prices at auction. The value of pink diamonds that are graded intense or vivid can be compared to that of the ultra rare blue diamonds.

The base to understanding the value of a diamond, is from the grading its 4 C's:

• Cut
• Color
• Clarity
• Carat

And it is no different in pink diamonds. However, color attribute gets extra attention.

If you recall at the begining I mentioned the pink color may have modifiers, and intensities. These two greatly impact pricing. A brownish tone will decrease the cost and value, and an intense pink would cost more than light pink. Very logical.

No two pink diamonds are alike and therefore there is no price list that can say that an X carat pink would cost Y dollars etc. The diversification of prices, the tolerance, is huge. With that said here are a few price examples of actual diamonds being offered today (as of the writing of this article):

• 0.45ct Cushion Fancy Pink, VS2 - $16,710
• 0.47ct Round Fancy Intense Pink, SI2 - $63,780
• 0.59ct Cushion Fancy Brownish Pink, SI2 - $4,230
• 0.60ct Oval Fancy Brownish Pink, SI2 - $5,090
• 0.70ct Cushion Fancy Pink, VS2 - $66,490
• 0.78ct Cushion Fancy Brownish Pink, VS1 - $8,460
• 1.12ct Cushion Fancy Intense Pink, VS2 - $140,920

These are all random examples of diamonds you can see here and are available for purchase. You can also have another look on our loose pink diamonds as well.

Undoubtedly, one of the most well-known examples of these gems is the Daria-i-Noor, a table-cut light pink diamond that weighs a whopping 186 carats. It has been worn by numerous kings, and was part of the crown jewels until 1739, when the Persian army retrieved it and took it back to Iran. The Noor-ul-Ain also known as "the light of the eye," is another pale pink stone that's worth knowing about. The 60.0-carat oval brilliant-cut diamond, which is believed to have been discovered in India's Golconda mines, was the centerpiece in Iranian Empress Farah Pahlavi's wedding tiara, which she donned in 1958.

Also notable is the 24.78-carat Graff Pink Diamond. This fancy intense pink stone, which was graded Type IIa, smashed records when it sold for $46 million at a Sotheby's auction in 2010.

Before that, though, the 12.04-carat Martian Pink fetched $17.4 million at a Christie's auction in 2012. The Type IIa diamond was graded fancy intense pink.

The Rose of Dubai sold for $6 million in 2005. This pear-shaped fancy pink diamond weighs a whopping 25.02 carats.

Even more impressive in size, however, are the Steinmetz Pink and the Shah Jahaan. The former, a fancy vivid pink diamond with a unique mixed oval cut, was found in Southern Africa. It weighs 59.60 carats and boasts the highly coveted Internally Flawless clarity grade. The table-cut light pink Shah Jahaan is close behind, at 56.71 carats.

The Princie Diamond, which weighs in at 34.65 carats, was bought for a staggering $39.3 million in 2013 at a Christie's New York auction. The cushion-cut fancy intense pink stone boasts VS2 clarity.