We’ve all seen different color diamonds at least once, some on TV or in a YouTube video, some in real life, but you can’t argue that you didn’t remember that moment!
That’s a big part of the reason why pink diamonds are so popular and sought after. Naturally, diamonds that have different colors also enjoy more attention than your regular “plain old” diamonds.
Well, since so many of you are so interested in pink diamonds, here’s everything you need to know about pink diamonds. In this article we’re going to talk about a lot of things, so let’s first take a look at the topics we have prepared for you so you know what to expect!
- What is a pink diamond?
- Why are pink diamonds pink?
- Best jewelry pieces for pink diamonds
- Best settings for pink diamonds
- Why you should be careful when buying pink diamonds
- Other rare colors of diamonds
Now that you know what you’re looking at, let’s dive deep into this subject and learn a thing or two about these majestic gemstones.
What Is A Pink Diamond?
First of all, let’s define a pink diamond, and see what they really are. Well, some of you may be disappointed with an answer since you probably expected an elaborate answer that explains what these diamonds are. But, on contrary – the answer is quite simple:
Pink diamonds are just regular diamonds that have become pink-ish or light red-ish before they were excavated and dug up from the depths of the Earth.
These diamonds are quite rare, which is proven by the fact that only about 14 million carats of diamonds are mined and marketed every year. Around 0.01% of these are colored diamonds, and only 0.0001% of the abovementioned 0.01% are pink diamonds.
A piece of information such as this one only goes to show you that when we say rare – we mean rare.
We’re telling you this because pink diamonds are often considered the rarest diamonds out there, right beside the canary diamonds (very vibrant yellow diamonds). These diamonds aren’t different from the “regular diamonds” on a molecular level, and their properties aren’t changed or enhanced at all.
Pink diamonds stand out because of the vibrant color that makes them easy distinguishable from other diamonds that don’t have specific colors.
Some people may think that pink diamonds have special properties or are harder or more durable than regular diamonds or diamonds of different colors, which isn’t true.
Learn More: Natural Fancy Colored Diamonds: Everything You Need to Know
Why Are Pink Diamonds Pink?
There is no direct and precise answer to this question since scientists don’t exactly know why pink diamonds have the color pink to them.
Some speculations and good guesses from gemologists lead us to believe that the color pink that these diamonds are known and loved for comes from even more immense pressure that they withstand under the ground in the process of forming.
This pressure is present in the making of all diamonds, but even greater pressure is present when forming pink diamonds. That same pressure and heat are responsible for making pink diamonds pink, and now we’re going to take a closer look at the science behind this claim.
This color is caused by the deformation of the diamond lattice due to high temperature and enormous pressure, also called non-isotropic stress, from all directions after the diamond is formed in the earth.
This deformation moves many carbon atoms from their natural positions and changes the diamond’s properties of light reflection. It is this particular molecular structure that allows you to see that the stone is pink.
As far as the pressure and heat in the diamond-making process go, there are some high numbers that are included, so let’s take a look at what it takes for a diamond to form!
First of all, diamonds form when carbon deposits deep in the Earth, about 90 to 125 miles below the surface, are exposed to high temperatures and pressures. Some rocks form in days or months, while others take millions of years to materialize.
Under the duress of approximately 725,000 pounds per square inch, and at temperatures of 2000 to 2200 degrees Fahrenheit, a diamond will begin to form. The carbon atoms bond together to form crystals under this high pressure and temperature.
When taking a look at these numbers, it’s clear why these conditions are called “harsh” or “extreme”. The amount of pressure and heat that’s required for a diamond to form is hard to imitate, especially if we’re talking about conditions that need to be present in order for a pink diamond to form.
Even greater pressure than 725,000 pounds per square inch is quite a lot of pressure, and it’s hard to find a diamond that withstood more than that. The same goes for temperature. 2000 to 2200 degrees Fahrenheit is a temperature that’s hardly reachable and even harder to maintain.
Pink diamonds often form under much harsher conditions than these, and that’s why gemologists and other scientists speculate and assume that pink diamonds are pink because of the harsher conditions.
Now, you need to be very careful when buying pink diamonds, and there’s one rule you shouldn’t forget about – if the price is too good to be true, it probably is. Scammers often influence fake diamonds so they take a pinkish color in order to sell them for more money, but that amount is much much less than what you’d pay for a real pink diamond.
Remember, pink diamonds are the rarest variation of diamonds out there. So, when it comes to the pinkness of your diamond, you’re better off with original diamonds from a known and licensed diamond dealer.
The moral of the story is – if a pink diamond is pink for a reason other than the one we’ve discussed, run!
Pink Diamonds – Price
Keeping in mind that pink diamonds are some of the rarest diamonds on the Earth (besides the canary diamonds we’ve mentioned), you all probably think that there’s a price tag that goes along with that rarity, and you’re right.
Pink diamonds have a reputation that comes with them, a reputation of a diamond that’s not only rare, but it’s easy to find and buy, considering that you’re interested in one.
So, your jeweler or your diamond dealer is aware of that fact, meaning they’ll bump up the price as far as they can just because of the rarity factor, and regardless of the fact that those pink diamonds aren’t any different than other diamonds, excluding the color factor.
These diamonds are hard to find, hard to come by, but extremely easy to sell because since people know that these diamonds are rare, they know they are expensive, and the moment they lay their eyes on one of them, they are probably going to buy them.
Now, let’s take a look at some numbers and see what it comes down to. Only then, we will discuss whether these diamonds are worth it or not, and should you consider buying one. The price of a pink diamond fluctuates a lot depending on the depth and the level of intensity of that pink color.
A pale pink diamond can go for as low as $12,000 if it weighs a carat, but a pink diamond that has a deep pink color that is easily distinguishable can easily go for up to $700,000 on a bad day, or can even reach a price of a million dollars if you’re buying one of the prettiest pink diamonds out there.
It only goes to show you how dependent a price tag is on some things such as color. Another big part is played by the cut of the diamond that you’re buying, plus the part of the world that you’re buying it in.
We’re going to talk about prices in American dollars and the market that we’re going to look at is the North American market since that’s where the prices of diamonds are most reliable.
When it comes to the cut of the diamond, we’re going to take a look at that later on, as well as the settings that you may find pink diamonds in, so don’t worry. But for now, let’s focus on the price.
If you’re looking to buy a diamond that’s considered pink just because it shines with a pale pink glare, you’re not going to spend much money on it (in comparison to some more expensive pink diamonds), but if you’re going for anything more intense than the palest of pink diamonds, make sure you’re financially capable of that kind of indulgence.
Pink diamonds go for ridiculous amounts of money just because of the fact that they’re very rare, meaning you won’t get a gemstone that’s harder, more durable, or has any “special characteristics” besides the color.
When a 1-carat diamond costs north of half a million dollars, you know you’re paying for luxury. That’s the main “gist” of these diamonds and the people who sell them since they know you know how rare these diamonds are.
In other words, if you’re not buying a pink diamond just for its color, you’re better off buying multiple diamonds or larger gemstones for less than half a price of a 1-carat pink diamond.
Now, let’s just take a look at some prices around the world and see if there’s a difference in pricing.
If you’re interested in buying a pink diamond in Europe, you’re looking at around $220,000 just for the diamond, and if you’re looking to bring it back into the US or bring it to another continent, there are a bunch of fees that you will have to pay.
The continent of Africa is known around the world as a continent with probably the most diamonds excavated, and there, a 0.40-carat fancy deep pink round cut diamond is priced at approximately $40,000.
This may seem cheaper than the ones we’ve talked about, and it is, but you have to keep in mind that we talked about a diamond that’s more than twice as big as the 0.40-carat diamond that we’re comparing right now.
So, it’s pretty much the same thing around the world, and you’re looking at similar price tags. The only difference is will you have additional expenses and how big your pink diamond will be.
Related Read: Diamond Price List: How Much Is A 0.1 To 40 Carat Diamond Worth?
Why You Should Be Careful While Buying Pink Diamonds
While we’re on the topic of (over)pricing pink diamonds, let’s talk about the risks that you should be aware of when buying pink diamonds.
As we’ve mentioned earlier, there are people that will either ridiculously overprice pink diamonds, or try to sell you tempered diamonds that look pink but aren’t considered pink diamonds.
Even worse, they may try to sell you fake pink diamonds, but scammers like these know how much money is in play and that you’ll probably test diamonds before buying them unless this action doesn’t take place on the black market.
Here, we’ll take a look at a few factors you should be aware of before you go pink diamond shopping, so you don’t get cheated into buying an overpriced diamond or a diamond that doesn’t have a color that’s deep and intense enough that it should be considered a pink diamond.
First of all, the overpricing. Diamond jewelers tend to create a sense of urgency when selling these pieces, and they do that for two reasons. The first reason is that they know that people that are in the market for pink diamonds will probably take the first chance they get and buy the diamond.
This plays a huge role in the selling of the diamond since the seller will most likely create that sense of urgency by displaying evidence that they have other serious buyers and that if you don’t buy it right away, it will be too late.
People usually fall for this since they don’t think anything of a few thousand dollars that they’ll overpay since they think that those diamonds are worth it.
One thing is important in these kinds of situations, and that is the fact that you’re aware that that pink diamond isn’t the last pink diamond on Earth, and that if you lose the opportunity to buy that exact overpriced diamond, another opportunity will arise (probably with a better price).
The second thing that you should be careful around is dealing with shady or suspicious diamond dealers that want to sell you a “pink diamond” that is multiple times cheaper than a real pink diamond and all with an excuse that the diamond doesn’t have legal papers.
Our best advice in these kinds of situations is that you take your money and run since these people either sell fake diamonds that you often don’t even have an opportunity to test or sell genuine diamonds that are illegally obtained.
Oftentimes these people look to sell these diamonds as fast as possible and get rid of them throwing you a “hot potato” of sorts – if you fall for it, congrats, you’re possessing an illegal diamond.
Finally, be careful of diamond dealers and jewelers that try to convince you that pale pink diamonds are worth the overpriced price tag that hangs from their box. Pale pink diamonds cost almost as much as regular diamonds, and you shouldn’t pay tens of thousands of dollars worth of price just for your “pink” diamond to be pale and look the same as other diamonds.
All of these scenarios are quite bad for the buyer, so our strong advice is to keep shopping for pink diamonds only in stores you know have their diamonds certified and protected, while also keeping in mind that you don’t have to overpay for an overpriced diamond then and there, so give yourself some time!
Best Jewelry Pieces For Pink Diamonds
Now that you know what you are looking for (and what you should avoid), let’s see what are some of the best jewelry pieces for your pink diamonds.
Generally speaking, a piece of jewelry that has a pink diamond in it should serve as a contrast that will further accentuate your pink diamond and allow it to look even more vibrant than it is.
When it comes to pink diamonds, in particular, the best way to go is the white gold which has been gaining in popularity over the past few decades.
A more budget-friendly idea is to go with silver, but silver is too cheap and the chances of you finding a pink diamond in silver are quite low.
A more expensive option is to go with platinum which also allows your pink diamond to shine even brighter and look even pinker.
Regular gold is also fine, but regular gold is not as neutral as these three options, so your diamond won’t have a chance to be in the spotlight.
Learn More: In Which Metal We Should Wear Diamond?
But, enough about precious metals, we’re here to talk about jewelry pieces. Keeping in mind everything we’ve said, let’s take a look at some of the best jewelry pieces for a pink diamond to be embedded in.
- Rings
- Necklaces
- Tiaras & Crowns
All three of these pieces of jewelry need to be constructed in a specific fashion to complement a pink diamond as much as they can.
Related Read: Platinum Vs. White Gold: Which One Is Better?
Rings
Let’s start off with the simplest one – the ring. Rings are usually the smallest pieces of jewelry in a jewelry store, but they’re the most popular ones, besides the earrings. Rings that contain a diamond are most often engagement rings, so that’s probably where you’ll find a pink diamond.
Engagement rings that contain pink diamonds are even more expensive since they’re for special occasions, and jewelers around the world are aware of that fact.
So, rings (regardless of if they’re engagement rings or not) are your best chance at finding a pink diamond in them. Oftentimes, pink diamonds that are found in rings are smaller than one carat, weighing at around 0.40 carats or half a carat.
This brings the price down drastically, but everything else bumps it up a little. Rings tend to have only one diamond in them, but there are some instances where the pink diamond will have some other complementary diamonds around them. This only goes to show you that pink diamonds are always the centerpiece.
Necklaces
The same goes for necklaces since they also most often have one diamond, or if they have multiple – the pink diamond is the centerpiece.
Necklaces often house a bigger diamond that weighs at least a carat, so it can be noticeable. All because of the fact that it takes a lot more precious metal to make a necklace, and if you don’t see a diamond – the necklace becomes a chain.
Related Read: How Much Does A Real Diamond Necklace Cost?
Tiaras & Crowns
Tiaras and crowns are a different story since they revolve around the fact that they don’t have only one diamond, but are full of smaller diamonds.
In this case, the pink diamond is also the centerpiece that’s in the front of the piece of jewelry, surrounded by smaller diamonds that may or may not be pink in a way that complements the centerpiece.
Knowing everything you do, you’re probably thinking that the ring is the best option, and we would agree.
Bigger pieces of jewelry that contain a big diamond often cost a few hundred thousand dollars which isn’t a price acceptable to everyone.
Keeping that in mind, if you’re in the market for a jewelry piece that contains a pink diamond – you should most likely first take a look at the ring section!
Best Settings For Pink Diamonds
Settings are a totally different story. Here, we’ll focus on rings and how pink diamonds look at rings that have different settings for differently cut diamonds. Pink diamonds most often come with a round brilliant cut which makes them perfect for simple settings.
Taking into consideration how valuable these diamonds are, you should consider some settings that may seem more simple, but are also quite safe and keep your diamonds in place, safe from falling and chipping.
Generally speaking, safety should be your number one priority as these diamonds are quite valuable and lose a lot of value if they’re chipped or otherwise damaged.
When it comes to absolute safety, the flush setting is the best one. This setting allows for almost the entire diamond to be embedded into a ring, but this setting doesn’t seem to allow the pink diamond to shine with all its glory.
So, maybe this time it’s not the best idea to go with the safest setting.
The second safest, and probably the best setting for your pink diamond is the prong setting. This is a classic setting that everybody likes and that goes amazingly well with the round brilliant cut diamonds.
Remember how we told you that pink diamonds most often come cut in that manner? Well, that makes pink diamonds even more amazing in prong settings! This setting allows for the diamond to shine in all its glory and show off the amazing color that it’s so well-known for.
The prong setting is safe and quite reliable as well, so you don’t have to worry about your diamond falling out and getting chipped or shattered. Pink diamonds look amazing when everything around them lets them shine as much as they can and be the center of attention, and that’s exactly what the prong setting does.
Besides the setting we just talked about, there is one more setting that goes amazingly well with a pink diamond. The tension setting is quite unique since it allows for the diamond to lay between two ends of a non-connected ring, and is held in place by jewelry glue and the tension of these two ends.
A setting such as this may give off an impression that it’s not safe, especially when we’re talking about diamonds that are as expensive as pink diamonds. But, we assure you – this setting is quite safe and it’s extremely unlikely for anything bad to happen to a diamond that’s embedded in this setting. In other words, it looks dangerous, but it isn’t!
Besides these two settings, anything that allows for your pink diamond to be the centerpiece that it should be and doesn’t cover the majority of the diamond while keeping it snug and safe is an amazing choice, so don’t feel like you’re limited to the choices we listed as best.
Learn More: Types Of Diamond Settings: A Guide To Setting Styles
Other Rare Colors Of Diamonds
We’ve mentioned the canary diamond which is a vibrant yellow type of diamond desired by almost everybody in the world of diamonds. But, are there other rare diamonds that are as expensive and desired as the pink diamond? Well, let’s take a look!
First of all, let’s talk about the famous canary diamonds – these diamonds have a deep and vibrant yellow color, and because of that, they’re called the canary diamonds. The price of these diamonds can fluctuate from as low as $10,000 for a one-carat diamond and can go all the way up to more than $100,000.
Red and purple diamonds are also quite rare and some people consider them as valuable and as rare as pink diamonds, but that’s not quite true. Deep red diamonds cost almost as much as pink diamonds, but the most expensive red diamond can’t be as costly as the most expensive pink diamond.
There are, of course, some other rare diamonds such as grey diamonds or blue or green diamonds, but their prices are quite lower in comparison to the price of a pink diamond. It seems that when compared to other rare colored diamonds, pink diamonds really take the first place in popularity and scarcity, and with a good reason!
Conclusion
Now that you have all the things you need to know about pink diamonds, it’s finally time to summarize:
These diamonds are some of the rarest and most expensive diamonds out there, so buying one is not a small thing. Pink diamonds rarely cost less than $10,000 for a 1-carat diamond, making them some of the most expensive diamonds on Earth.
These diamonds aren’t actually that different from regular diamonds, and the only difference is in their color, so if you’re looking for a diamond that looks amazing but stands out, maybe pink diamonds aren’t for you. Diamonds such as these are most often bought by diamond enthusiasts and people that love collecting diamonds.
But, if you want to make your engagement something even more special and something that’s even harder to forget, a pink diamond ring is a piece of jewelry that will certainly affect your engagement in that manner.
All in all, we hope that we sparked a little curiosity in you for pink diamonds, and hopefully, you’ve learned a thing or two about these majestic gemstones. And remember, when something’s pink – it always looks better!
