Fancy Color Diamonds are not only admired for their breathtaking beauty but also for their exceptional rarity. The number of diamond mines around the world that can produce these uniquely colored gems is incredibly limited.
Even among diamonds, which are already rare, certain colors are so scarce that individual stones often become prized possessions for collectors and diamond connoisseurs. In fact, there are only 12 recognized colors of diamonds. However, with 9 different intensity levels, 90 secondary hues, and over 230 possible color combinations, the range of available Fancy Color Diamonds is vast. Additionally, factors such as size, clarity, and cut further complicate their categorization.
Yet, despite the multitude of variables that create a diverse array of colored diamonds, Fancy Color Diamonds still account for less than 0.1% of the world’s total diamond production. This extreme scarcity is what makes them not only precious but truly unique.
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The most popular colored diamonds, Yellow, Blue, Pink, and Red |
Are Colored Diamonds More Valuable?
Colored diamonds stand out from colorless ones because their value isn’t determined by size or quality in the traditional sense. Instead, their worth is primarily driven by their color. A diamond with a rare and intense hue can be significantly more valuable than a colorless diamond. In fact, of the ten most expensive diamonds ever sold at auction, only three were colorless, while the rest were fancy colored diamonds.
Both colorless and colored diamonds are considered some of the most beautiful natural treasures. However, the rarity and unique beauty of colored diamonds make them particularly valuable. They are highly sought after by collectors, investors, and dealers. Thanks to their ability to maintain or even increase in value over time, fancy color diamonds are seen as a highly concentrated form of wealth.
The Most Common Colors:
Yellow and Pink diamonds dominate the market in terms of demand, although there is a significant price difference between them. The higher abundance of Yellow diamonds makes them more affordable on a per-carat basis, especially when compared to the scarcity of Pink diamonds. In fact, depending on their color intensity, some Yellow diamonds can be priced even lower than colorless diamonds.
However, the market also includes other extremely rare colored diamonds that are so scarce they are often sold before they even arrive at a dealer's inventory. These unique diamonds, with their exceptional characteristics, can carry price tags that reach into the hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars, making them highly coveted by collectors and investors alike
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Are Fancy Color Diamonds Genuine?
Absolutely. Natural fancy color diamonds are 100% authentic gemstones. The distinct colors they display are a result of natural processes, where specific elements or structural changes within the stone occur over millions of years, leading to the formation of these remarkable hues. These diamonds are mined just like their colorless counterparts, but the color is a natural phenomenon that sets them apart as rare treasures from deep within the Earth.
What Makes Some Colored Diamonds Incredibly Rare?
Among the most extraordinary and valuable diamonds are those with rare and intense colors, which are often sold at prestigious auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s. While these auction houses frequently feature high-end pieces, there are also specialized dealers who offer access to some of the world's most exceptional colored diamonds. However, even for these dealers, it's not common to come across the rarest of colors. So, which colored diamonds truly stand out as the rarest and most sought after?
Red Diamonds:
Of the various different colors，Red DIamonds are by far the rarest. They are not often found, and sourced from very few locations around the world.
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Fancy Red Diamonds are the extremely rare, which makes each one a collectors item |
Two of the most famous Red diamonds are;
- The Moussaieff Red: a 5.11 carat, Fancy RED diamond with an IF clarity grade. This magnificent stone is known as the largest internally flawless red diamond in the world.
- The Hancock Red Diamond: A 0.95-carat, Fancy Purplish Red, Round Brilliant Diamond. Although it is slightly less than a carat, this stone remains one of the most famous red diamonds of all time due to its color.
Some of the most expensive red diamonds ever sold at auction were：
- The Moussaieff Red, which was purchased back in 2001 for nearly USD $8 million dollars (1.6 million per carat).
- The Hancock Red, was sold back in 1987 for approximately USD $880,000 (USD $926,000 per carat). With the rise of fancy color diamond prices over the past 15 years, that diamond would be considered worth a lot more today.
Blue Diamonds：
There are a number of discrepancies whether Pink or Blue Diamonds are considered the second rarest, but there definitely appear to be more Pink Diamonds available in the market.
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Fancy Blue Diamonds, although not the rarest color it is most often connected to royalty |
Two of the most famous Blue diamonds that exist are：
- The Hope Diamond: a 45.52 carat, Fancy Deep Grayish-Blue diamond with a VS1 clarity grade.
- The Wittelsbach Graff: a 31.06 carat, Fancy Deep Blue diamond with an IF (internally flawless) clarity grade.
Some of the most expensive Blue Diamonds ever sold at auction were：
- The incredibly unique Wittelsbach Graff diamond was sold in 2008 for an astonishing USD $24.3 million!
- A 7.03 carat, Flawless Blue Diamond which was sold in 2009 for approximately USD $9 million dollars.
Pink Diamonds：With the second highest market demand, Pink Diamonds are known now only for their incredibly feminine and passionate colors, but also for their remarkable investment potential.
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After Yellow, the vivacious colored Pink Diamonds have the highest market demand |
Two of the most famous Pink Diamonds that exist are:
- The Graff Pink: a 24.78 carat, Fancy Intense Pink diamond. This stone has been determined to have potential flawless characteristics, which is extremely rare.
- The Steinmetz Pink: a 59.60 carat, Fancy Vivid Pink, Internally Flawless (IF) stone.
Some of the most expensive Pink Diamonds ever sold at auction were:
- The Perfect Pink, a 24.78 carat holds the record for the highest price ever paid for a diamond at auction, selling for the princely sum of approximately USD $46 million.
- A 5.00 carat, Fancy Vivid Pink Cushion-cut diamond sold for approximately USD $2 million per carat. This was the highest price per carat ever paid for a diamond at auction.
Orange Diamonds:
One of the beauties of color diamonds is that no one single stone is better than another. It is simply which colors most prefer. Orange diamonds are an extremely rare color and very beautiful, only they happen to have a relatively low market demand.
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An extremely rare color that is often sought after by diamond collectors |
Two of the most famous Orange diamonds are;
- The Pumpkin Orange: a 5.54 carat, Fancy Vivid Orange, Cushion-shaped diamond.
The Pumpkin Orange was sold on October 30th, 1997 at a Sotheby’s auction for approximately USD $1.3 million.
Green Diamonds:
Contrary to other colors, it is almost impossible to identify if any type of artificial enhancement was done on a Green diamonds in order to enhance the color. Therefore, most cutters leave an untouched ‘natural’ along the Girdle of the stone, which is considered acceptable and does not reduce the clarity grade of the diamond.
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Various different shades and shapes of natural fancy green diamonds |
Two of the most common Green diamonds are：
- The Ocean Dream: a 5.51 carat, Fancy Deep Blue-Green, Shield-shaped diamond.
- The Dresden Green: a 40.70 carat, natural Green, Pear-shaped diamond.
Of the most expensive green diamonds sold at auction, there was the Vivid Green Diamond, sold at Sotheby’s in 2009 for USD $3.08 million.
