Pink Diamonds - True Treasures of Nature

Natural pink diamonds are one of nature’s true and exceedingly rare treasures.

Since their discovery in 17th century India, pink diamonds have only occasional been found throughout the world, with small quantities being found in Canada, South Africa, Brazil, Indonesia, Russia and until recently, Australia. The conditions required to create such diamonds, a matter still under some debate by experts, involving just the right amount of pressure following their formation, makes these stones a true miracle of nature.

REMARKABLE RARITY

Only 1 in 10,000 mined diamonds can be classified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) as being fancy coloured and a similarly small proportion of these are pink - approximately 0.03% of the world’s diamond supply. Until recently, over 80% of the world’s supply of pink diamonds were found in Australia’s Argyle mine. Even then, only 0.1% of the mine’s diamond output could be classified as pink, with the vast majority of these being under 2.00 carats in size.

Since the mine’s closure in November 2020, the rarity of these diamonds continues to increase, especially for diamonds of a large size.

It was once remarked that an entire year’s worth of Argyle pink diamonds over half a carat can fit in the palm of a person’s hand. We at Elmwood’s have sold pink diamonds of almost 3 carats.

Coloured diamonds usually obtain their hues from chemical disturbances within the earth during their formation, with trace elements replacing some carbon atoms within the diamond’s lattice structure. It is the presence of these trace elements that determines the type of hue found - for example, the presence of nitrogen produces yellow diamonds, boron produces blue diamonds and hydrogen likely causes grey diamonds.

Unlike all other coloured diamonds, pink diamonds derive their colour not from trace elements but from distortion of their crystal lattice structure caused by intense temperatures and pressures faced following their formation. This distorted lattice causes selective transmission of pink light and gives the stone it’s attractive pink hue results.

Akin to other coloured diamonds, graded using the Gemological Institute of America’s classification system, the colour of pink diamonds can be categorised as Faint, Very Light, Light, Fancy Light, Fancy Deep, Fancy, Fancy Intense and Fancy Vivid.

Pink diamonds are often found with secondary or modifying colours such as brown, purple or orange, influencing the stone’s colour tone. In this instance, there are no influencing colours whatsoever. 

Due to the crystalline distortion which gives rise to  pink diamonds’ characteristic colour, it is expected that inclusions do form within the stone, resulting in a lower clarity than those usually found within colourless or other coloured diamonds. It is therefore exceptionally rare to find a pink diamond of large sizes certified by the GIA as having a clarity of VVS1 or Flawless clarity. 

Elmwood’s have had the privilege of selling many pink diamonds over the years, most recently selling several diamonds ranging from 0.82 carats over 2 carats.

With a global network of buyer’s and an international presence, Elmwood’s is the ideal place to both buy and sell your jewellery. With no seller’s fees and lifetime authenticity guarantee, you can sell, bid, buy and love with complete confidence. Contact us today for a free, no obligation expert valuation, whether that be for a single item or an entire collection.

For more information on any upcoming lots, explore our upcoming auctions under the ‘Upcoming Auctions’ tab in the right hand menu.