The Natural Fancy Pink Diamonds are the most desirable diamond color for a women!

With all the hues and shades in the world, pink continues to be the color most women prefer and love. These have been the main attractions in top jewelry auctions across the world and large diamonds have been selling for exorbitant prices. So it is no wonder that a pink natural diamond would be a stone that even Cupid would bet his money on. If you are planning to shop for a pink diamond, then here is all the information and know how you will need.

Where do pink diamonds come from?
Thanks to the opening of the Argyle mine, pink diamonds have increased in number over the two decades. While pink diamonds still accord for less than one percent of the mine’s diamond production, it accounts for 95% of the world’s pink diamonds. The diamonds produced here are processed as polished diamonds by a specialized team of gemologists in Perth. Besides the fancy and deep pinks of this mine, light pink diamonds are also sourced from mines in India, Brazil and Africa.

Shades of pinks
Pink diamonds appear in a vivid range of hues that include shades of purple and orange. Unlike other colors, where shades are more prominent, in pink diamonds, the shade gradually transits from one hue to another. The grades accorded to pink diamonds range from faint, very light, light to fancy vivid and fancy deep. Research reveals that while type I diamonds exhibit cooler shades of purple, type II diamonds showcase warmer shades of orange. Given the degree of pink present in a stone, it can also be understood as primary or secondary pinks.

Primary pinks
Primary shades of pink in a diamond are much desired. Primary pink diamonds can range from light pinks, to vivid, fancy and also deep pinks.  Deep pinks usually appear as reds or may also have a purplish, orange or brown tint depending upon the presence of trace elements.

Secondary pink
Besides diamonds that are primarily pink in color, one may also come across other colors in diamonds with a pink hue. This can be found in stones that are colorless or white and it is known that such stones are priced higher per carat as compared to colorless diamonds. The price of such secondary tinted diamonds vary with the intensity and depth of the shade. Champagne diamonds with a secondary shade of pink are also not uncommon. Light, medium, deep pink champagnes and fancy cognacs can be found. 

How is a natural pink diamond formed?

Naturally colored diamonds are formed under various conditions. While the actual cause remains inconclusive, many researchers believe that crystal lattice defects could be a main cause in color changes. In the Argyle mine for example, the pink is noted to be more due to structural defects of the crystal lattice. A colored diamond may be formed when certain trace elements or distortions occur in the natural diamond crystal, usually during its creation. Chemical interactions between carbon and certain other elements can also lead to colored diamonds. Finally, the application of pressure and temperature can also cause color changes. Natural pink diamonds are also understood to be formed by a process known as ‘plastic deformation’. Under this, a natural deformation of the diamond takes place while the stone is still in a semi-solid state. Pink diamonds get their color due to the presence of lamaelle, with the intensity of color deepening with increase in number of lamaelle. 

Pricing of pink diamonds
Pink diamonds are usually more expensive than the usual diamonds. These high prices can be because of a combination of underlying factors.
Rarity: Pinks are priced higher because of their rarity as compared to colorless or fancy yellow stones. Statistics estimate that one in thousands is a fancy and one can easily guess that one in ten thousands can be a pink diamond. Also, very few such colored diamonds would be over one carat in weight.
Color intensity: Usually deeper shades of pink are rare (fancy vivid and fancy deep) and are priced higher than lighter colored pink diamonds. The closer a pink shade comes to red, the more expensive it becomes.
Presence of secondary shades: Pink diamonds without any secondary shades are rarer and thus expensive. In cases where secondary shades are present, pink diamonds that have a complementary secondary shade demand a higher price. For example, while shades of purple complement a pink diamond and drive up prices, shades of brown often lower the price of a pink stone. Champagne diamonds in light, dark and fancy shades are also popular but are less expensive than colorless diamonds. Such stones are assigned different color grades too, depending upon the degree of the other color.
Clarity: While clarity is not a very important factor in colored diamonds, it can also drive prices to some extent. Pink diamonds are usually of I1-SI clarity (link to clarity). Thus stones that are internally flawless, or of VS and VVS grades come at premium prices. For a layman, this can also be understood as the purity of color. Thus, brighter or clear pink diamonds cost more while clouded pink stones cost much lesser.

A few famous pink diamonds
While natural pink is a much desired shade in diamonds, there are also a host of much desired diamonds of this shade. These are the Darya-e-noor, which at 186 carats is renowned to be the largest pink diamond in the world. Also renowned to be the largest known fancy vivid pink diamond is the Steinmetz Pink diamond. Famous light pink diamonds include names of Nur-ul-ain (60 carats) and Shah Jahaan (56.7 carats). Agra (32 carats) is a renowned fancy light pink, while Pink sunrise (29.7 carats), Rose of Dubai (25 carats), Williamson Pink (23.5 carats), Mouawad Pink (21 carats) and Graff Pink supreme (10.8 carats) are good examples of fancy pink diamonds. Mouawad lilac (24 carat) and Graff Pink Orchid (22.8 carats) are fancy purplish pink diamonds and Hortensia at 20 carats is a fancy orange pink. The Conde Pink diamond also known as the Le Grand Conde or Conde diamond is a 9 carat light pink diamond. While the stone is not famed for its size or intensity, it is known more for its rich history that dates back to the seventeenth century.

Pinks, famous personalities and important events
Besides this, many famous personalities have also invested in this color of diamond for their loved ones. Ben Affleck, for one, presented a 6 carat pink diamond to Jennifer Lopez for their engagement. David Beckham is also known to have gifted a $1.8 million fancy pink diamond ring to his wife, Victoria ‘Posh’ Adams. Argyle pinks have grown so much in popularity, that Christie’s reportedly sold a 3.14 carat Argyle pink for $1, 510, 000. A 19.66 carat fancy pink diamond was also sold for $377,483 per carat by Christie’s in 1994. The Pink Diamond Tender is an important event for pink diamond lovers. Once in a year, the Argyle diamond mine showcases its outstanding rare fancy pink diamonds which are sold by invitation only auctions at the tender. Access to the catalog and website are much sought after. These stones are usually in the rich shades of raspberries and cranberries.

Important points

• Color of many pink diamonds is noted to change with polishing. In some cases, a moderately pink diamond was noted to become a fancy vivid orangy pink while faceting.
• During the polishing process, heat used may also alter the color of the diamond. Thus a pink diamond may temporarily weaken the diamond’s color. On the other hand, cooling the diamond, may restore a deeper shade than the original color.
•  The three most common hue ranges for pink diamonds are noted as pink, purplish pink and orangy pink.
•  While purchasing a fancy pink colored diamond ask for proper reports (link to color grading) that are issued specifically for colored stones.
• Shop only with professionals who are well informed and offer a good range on FancyPink (link to site) diamonds

What makes fancy diamonds even more desirable, is their unsurpassable beauty and rarity. If you have decided to gift your loved one a pink diamond, then it is the gift for a lifetime. However make sure that you purchase the stone from a reputed dealer. Also compare prices thoroughly before sealing the deal. Gemisimo provides easy access to a range of pink diamonds (link to Gemisimo selection) from different online vendors (link to list of online vendors). Moreover it offers the facility for easily comparing prices from different stores, so you save more time and effort.