What Color Diamond Is the Most Expensive?

Fancy color diamonds have emerged as a symbol of elegance and luxury. While pink and yellow diamonds might be the most well-known, the palette of colored diamonds extends across the entire spectrum, capturing the hearts and eyes of diamond shoppers and collectors. Among the myriad questions that arise, the one that comes up the most is: "Which color diamond is most expensive?"

What Determines the Price of a Diamond?

Like their colorless counterparts, colored diamonds are assessed based on the famous 4Cs – Cut, Clarity, Carat, and Color. These factors collectively influence a diamond's value. Specifically, when it comes to colored diamonds, rarity plays a significant role in determining their worth. Many often wonder, "what color diamond is the most expensive?" The answer can be influenced by the interplay of the 4Cs and the rarity of the specific color in question.

A Brief Explanation of the 4Cs

Cut: A diamond's cut determines its brilliance and fire. Expert craftsmanship is essential to ensure light interacts with the diamond optimally, creating a mesmerizing sparkle.

Clarity: The clarity of a diamond gauges the presence of any internal or external flaws; the fewer imperfections, the higher the clarity grade and the greater the value.

Carat: Carat weight measures the size of the diamond. Larger diamonds are rarer and typically more valuable.

Color: While colorless diamonds, graded from D to Z, are prized for their absence of color, colored diamonds are celebrated for their vivid hues. The more intense and distinct the color, the higher the diamond's worth.

How Are Colored Diamonds Priced?

While cut, clarity, and carat follow similar pricing rules to their colorless counterparts, the assessment of color in colored diamonds is a different ballgame. These diamonds often exhibit multiple colors, resulting in captivating visual phenomena known as overtones. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA), responsible for grading diamonds, assesses colored diamonds based on three fundamental aspects: hue, tone, and saturation.

Hue: The primary color of the diamond falls under eight main hues – Pink, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet, and Purple.

Tone: This parameter defines the lightness or darkness of the primary hue.

Saturation: Saturation gauges the strength and purity of the primary color.

The GIA assigns each colored diamond a rating based on these three aspects and color distribution. The spectrum range includes faint, very light, light, fancy light, fancy, fancy intense, fancy dark, fancy deep, and fancy vivid. Colored diamonds that sit further down the spectrum are more expensive per carat than lighter stones.

Which color diamond is the most expensive?

Within the realm of colored diamonds, red diamonds reign supreme in terms of rarity and price. Many often ask, "what color diamond is the most expensive?" The answer is unequivocal: with their rich crimson hues and the fact that only a handful of 20 to 30 red diamonds have been unearthed to date, red diamonds are the most expensive per carat among colored diamonds. The alluring depth of their color further accentuates their unparalleled value.

Famous Red Diamonds

Three remarkable red diamonds have etched their names in history:

The Moussaieff Red: Originally known as the Red Shield, this diamond was discovered in Brazil in 1989. The rough stone weighed 13.9 carats and was purchased by the William Goldberg Diamond Corp. It was cut and polished into a brilliant triangular cut, weighing 5.11 carats. This Fancy Red diamond is the world's largest known red diamond. In 2002 it was purchased by Shlomo Moussaieff and is currently owned by Moussaieff Jewellers Ltd.

The Kazanjian Red Diamond: This incredible stone was found in South Africa in the 1920s and cut in Amsterdam by the Goudvis Brothers into a 5.05-carat emerald-cut red diamond. In 1944 the Nazis confiscated it, but it was recovered after the war by a general who thought it was a ruby. Although it was returned to the Goudvis Brothers, it's been bought and sold several times. Beverly Hills-based jewelers, the Kazanjian Brothers, now own it.

The DeYoung Red Diamond: At a flea market, Boston jeweler Sydney DeYoung bought a hatpin that featured what would become known as the DeYoung Diamond. He initially thought it was a garnet but had it tested, which revealed it was a rare 5.03-carat modified round brilliant-cut red diamond. After DeYoung died in 1986, the diamond was gifted to the Smithsonian Institution's National Gem and Mineral Collection, where it remains today. It is the only red diamond on public display.

Yellow and Canary Diamonds

Yellow diamonds are the most common fancy color diamond. Their striking color and relative affordability make them one of the most sought-after diamonds. The color of a yellow diamond can vary greatly, and some of the lightest yellow diamonds are less expensive than some colorless diamonds of equal size. The most expensive yellow diamonds are causally known as canary diamonds, which are pure yellow and graded anywhere from fancy intense to fancy vivid on the GIA color scale.

Pink Diamonds

Pink diamonds are rarer than their yellow counterparts and often more expensive due to the high demand for their romantic pink color. Pink diamonds from the Argyle mine in Australia usually command the highest prices due to their unmatched beauty and limited availability. Like other colored diamonds, pink diamonds range from faint pink to fancy vivid and can have purple, brown, or orange overtones.

Purchase A Colored Diamond with Confidence

For those in pursuit of the perfect diamond, it's paramount to consult with an expert jeweler like VMK Diamonds. With their unmatched expertise and distinguished reputation in the realm of colored diamonds, VMK Diamonds ensures that every individual discovers a gem that flawlessly resonates with their taste and budget. Choose VMK Diamonds, and you're choosing the pinnacle of professionalism and passion in the jewelry industry.