Fancy coloured diamond market has grown rapidly in the last couple of decades. Fancy coloured diamonds are diamonds that occur naturally in hues like red, pink, yellow, blue, green etc.
Owing to their rarity fancy coloured diamonds are very expensive and have a wide appeal for connoisseurs and collectors.
Jewellery experts and auctioneers agree that the lure of coloured diamonds lies in the fact that they are found in every spectral hue.
Of all the various shades and hues however, fancy pink diamonds are the rarest of them all. Pink diamonds have been trending for a while now, from celebrity engagement rings to jewellery auctions, they are coveted and sold at a premium rate.
They are expensive because of their rarity as they make up only 0.03% of the total production of diamonds annually. Compared to the more common counterpart – that is white diamonds, the value of a pink diamond can be up to 10 to 100 times more.
Where do they get the pink colour?
The blue in blue diamonds owes its colour to the presence of boron, while yellow diamonds have nitrogen in their structure. But fancy pink diamonds are a mystery. Scientists still don’t know how exactly they manage to achieve the stunning rosy colour.
Many believe that the colour is caused because of the extreme pressure placed on the stones during formation. As a result of this stress, the carbon atoms are displaced from their positions.
However, pink diamonds come in a variety of hues from reddish pink to purplish pink and all the shades in between. The colour of pink diamonds is evaluated using three main characteristics.
These are:
- Hue (lightness or darkness)
- Tone
- Saturation (intensity)
There is a special grade used for fancy coloured diamonds that indicates the colour. These range from fancy light, fancy, fancy intense, fancy vivid and fancy deep. The pink diamonds with a “deep” colour are the ones that have the highest saturation whereas fancy light pink diamonds possess a more subtle colour.
Do you know which colour is the most desirable though? Recent market trends and prices indicate that “fancy vivid” garner the highest attention and of course value. Experts refer to these extremely rare pink diamonds as the “brightest” and “purest” pink hue.
What is a modifier?
You may have heard the term modifier being used in connection with fancy coloured diamonds. It is nothing but the presence of a secondary colour.
When the secondary hue occupies 25% of the basic body colour, then it becomes a modifier and is used the prefix the basic colour name. For instance, a pink diamond with an orange modifier then it is officially called orangish pink diamond.
Interestingly, if you see a diamond described as orange-pink, it means the orange is at least 50% of the overall stone.
Some of the most common modifier shades in pink diamonds are orange, brown and purple. Each has its unique appeal.
Where are pink diamonds found?
One of the most well-known sources of pink diamonds today are the Argyle mines in Australia. Argyle produces about 90% of the world’s total supply of pink diamonds. However, due to the announcement of the closure of Argyle mines 2020. future due to depletion, the vast majority of coloured diamond supply will cease.
This means the value of pink diamonds will go up dramatically after the closure. If you are thinking of investing in pink diamonds, the time is perfect now.