Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Pink Diamonds 101: All You Need To Know About These Rare Beauties

If you follow the buzz around jewellery, mining or diamonds in general, then you must have read that a recent pink diamond sold by Gem Diamonds fetched a whopping $8,750,360. YES, you read that right! Gem Diamonds Ltd, one of the leading diamond producer operations in Lesotho and Botswana, sold a 13.33-carat pink diamond for a record price in Antwerp. So what exactly is a pink diamond? We are here to share the full details with you!


Of all the ‘fancy’ coloured diamonds that are available, pink and red diamonds are the most sought-after and expensive. This is because with coloured diamonds, the rarer the colour and higher the intensity, the more their value and appreciation among investors.

What lends Pink Diamonds their Colour?


While pink diamonds can be any shade of pink ranging from a pale pink to a beautiful cerise, their price range varies depending on the intensity of their colour. The quality and worth of a regular diamond are measured using 4 Cs – cut, clarity, colour and carat, the criteria vary slightly for fancy coloured stones.

Pink diamonds get their hue from a crystalline irregularity when they are formed. Where yellow and blue diamonds get their colour from the presence of nitrogen or boron at formation, pink diamonds are different because they have no such impurities.


Pink diamonds as an investment


Investors all over the world look for alternative investment assets to diversify their portfolio. Pink diamonds have garnered significant interest in investors for their continuous growth and portability. Unlike some other investment vehicles, coloured diamonds are also a stable investment choice, not affected by market volatility.

If you look at the auction prices for some of these pink diamonds, you can see an average value per carat climb to over $ 2 million. Some of the most expensive diamonds sold so far are:

  • The Pink Promise Diamond – 14.93 carats, sold for $31.86 million.
  • The Graff Pink Diamond – 88 carats $46 million.
  • The Pink Legacy Diamond – 18.96 carats sold for $50 million.
  • The Pink Star Diamond – 59.60 carat – one of the highest ever auctioned at $71.2 million.

The Argyle Mine

The Argyle Mine in Kimberly, Australia is the source for 0.1% of the world’s total coloured diamonds but is the main source for pink diamonds. Nearly 90% of the pink diamonds in the world are produced in Argyle.

But recently, Argyle mine has announced a forecasted closure of the mine by 2020 due to diminishing resources and challenges in exploration.

Pink diamond engagement ring

If you are considering buying an engagement ring or eternity band, then don’t ignore the potential of buying a pink diamond ring. In the last decades, the popularity of pink diamonds has soared and so have the prices. Pink diamond rings set you apart from the crowd, they are a great, long-term investment owing to their rarity and beauty.

The fancy coloured diamond engagement ring trend was sparked off by Jennifer Lopez’s famous pink diamond engagement ring from Ben Affleck. Jennifer Lopez is truly considered an influencer who set off a craze for coloured diamonds.

How to choose a pink diamond?

Pink diamonds are typically expensive owing to their rarity, and the diminishing number of mines producing them. The bigger the rock and the darker it’s colour, the higher its value.

However, this shouldn’t dishearten you. You can still find a beautiful, pink diamond in your budget if you are willing to search for it. There are several jewellers who sell fancy coloured diamonds and fancy coloured engagement rings online within every budget.

Another great factor in buying a pink diamond is that it is very versatile. You can wear it as solitaire or use it for your eternity band. You can also combine it with white diamonds in various designs to bring out their beauty.

Pink diamond setting

Pink diamonds look best when set in white gold and platinum. If you are opting for yellow gold, then it might cast a yellow hue on the diamond.

Round, marquise cut and square are the most popular cuts when making your ring. Instead of opting for an unusual cut, opt for simplicity and an elaborate setting to bring out their beauty.

There are many reasons to consider buying pink diamonds. Whether you love the colour pink, maybe you think white is boring, or purely for the sake of longer-term investment, pink may well be a diamond buyer’s brand new obsession.

Yellow Diamonds 101: All You Need To Know About Yellow Diamonds

All that glitters is not always gold, it could very well be a yellow diamond!

Ever fancied a yellow diamond engagement ring, spotted on so many Hollywood icons and celebrities? Then you might know that yellow diamonds or canary diamonds are one of the most common forms of coloured diamonds.


And yet coloured diamonds are so precious because they are so rare. Only 1 carat out of every 10,000 carats mined is a natural fancy coloured diamond.

The yellow diamond has soared in popularity because of its resplendent shine and affordability as compared to some other rare coloured diamonds.

Buying a yellow diamond:


If you are interested in buying a yellow coloured diamond, then here’s what you need to know:

Yellow diamonds are sourced from all over the world but the most intensely coloured ones are usually found in South Africa.

Wondering how they get their fabulous canary yellow hue? They owe it to the presence of nitrogen during the formation of the stone that alters its basic carbon atoms structure and the way light is absorbed. That is, the carbon atoms get arranged in such a way that they absorb blue light, reflecting a yellowish hue.

As you might be aware, the colours on the diamond grading scale range from D to Z, with D being on the colourless side of the spectrum and Z being the other extreme. The more intense the tint, the lower the cost of the diamond. The fancy vivid yellow stone is very intense and highly saturated, lying on the other end of the spectrum.

But did you also know that all yellow diamonds are not simply yellow? Their primary colour might be yellow but depending on the secondary colour they might have other various tints.

Some of the most common secondary colours include brown, green and orange. The overall cost of the diamonds will also vary according to these tints with green and orange being a bit more on the expensive side because of their unique colour.

If you have ever viewed the grading report for a yellow diamond, then you will find that the stone is graded using a combination of the colour/s and their intensity.

To identify their tones, yellow diamonds will be graded for the following intensity hues:

  • Faint
  • Very Light
  • Light
  • Fancy Light
  • Fancy Dark
  • Fancy Deep
  • Fancy Intense
  • Fancy Vivid

Here the faint and very light coloured stones resemble the diamond colour grades XYZ on the white diamond scale.

How to evaluate a yellow diamond?


Due to their rising popularity and celebrity endorsement, many brides are now shopping for yellow diamond engagement rings to add a touch of contemporary to their fingers.

But how do you select them? Just like white diamonds or colourless diamonds, the 4Cs should be considered while grading yellow diamonds.

Yellow Diamond Colour

When it comes to coloured diamonds, intensity and colours are the main criteria. The more the intensity, the stronger the colour and the better the valuation. Rarity also plays a big role in the price. The rarest yellow diamonds are the ones that are most intense – Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamonds – making them the most expensive and coveted stones for an engagement ring.

Yellow Diamond Carat Weight

Carat weight is one of the most important factors impacting the price of the diamond. A slight variation in carat can increase pricing exponentially. If you are looking for a more affordable diamond, then it is always a good practice to select diamonds that are a little under the standard weights. That is nearly 1 carat and 2-carat stones. They look practically the same but there is a noticeable difference in the pricing.

Yellow Diamond Cut

The cut is again a crucial factor because it can be maximized to bring out optimal brilliance. But in coloured diamonds, the cut is even more important to bring out the colour rather than the brilliance. Fancy shapes go well with coloured diamonds and some popular choices are radiant, cushion, marquise, pear or Asscher.

Clarity

Clarity is the least important factor when shopping for coloured diamonds, simply because these are colourless and the colour of the stone will mask any flaws. And since coloured diamonds are so rare, there are no gem-worthy stones left to shop if customers tend to get picky about clarity.

Pricing

Compared to other colours like red, blue and green, yellow diamonds are more affordable because of their higher availability. You can shop for a beautiful, fancy coloured diamond engagement ring within your budget and in a shape that you desire.

So, don’t go with the flow, make a statement with your fancy, yellow diamond ring.

Original Source: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/yellow-diamonds-101-all-you-need-to-know-about-yellow-diamonds-2633931982