Red Diamond

RED a universal colour of love, associated with energy, power, determination and passion. It symbolises a beautiful meaning in different countries and cultures.

As we approach the season of festivities, light, and happiness, what better way to celebrate than with the colour RED! So, come aboard with me on a global virtual tour and discover more about these Rarest of the Rare Red Natural diamonds!

Let’s begin by knowing where are these stunning diamonds found!
– The majority of Red diamonds come from the Argyle diamond mine in Kimberley, Western Australia, Brazil, Russia, and certain African countries.
– Red diamonds are discovered in the same locations as Pink diamonds; which are the Argyle mines, fetching a higher value for its origin.
– Argyle Mines often include the best Red Diamonds in their annual Argyle Pink Diamond Tender.

Image1: “The Hancock Red” is one of the most famous and expensive Red Diamond sold at the auction in 1987. The hammer price was eight times its pre-sale estimate.
Image 2: Second largest Red Diamond in the world “The Kazanjian Red Diamond” previously known as the Red Diamond, is a 5.05-carat red diamond. It was found in South Africa in the 1920s and was cut in Amsterdam. The Nazis seized the diamond during World War II. It was rediscovered after the war and changed owners multiple times before it was bought in 2007 by the Kazanjian Brothers.
Image 3: The 5.11ct “Fancy Moussaieff Red” is on display at the Natural History Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

COLOR is certainly the most important distinguishing factor of Natural Color Diamonds. Let’s understand how do Red diamonds get their colour.
– Despite decades of research, scientists are still inconclusive about the source of “Red” colour. It’s believed the origin of the red colour is the same, as that of pink colour in a Pink diamonds but a more concentrated dose.
– The most commonly accepted theory is that during the diamond’s formation, plastic deformation is caused in the crystal lattice structure. Some of the atoms are misplaced as the diamond moves up through its kimberlite deposit, and the intense pressure of this movement causes the varying shades of pink or red, to appear.

Natural Fancy Red diamonds set in a platinum flower brooch design by Scott West Jewelry.

What determines the value of a Red Diamond:
Red diamonds are among the most expensive gemstones, costing approximately US$1 million per carat. COLOR is considered the most important characteristic of the diamond and is largely what determines its VALUE.

– The Color in Red diamonds is evaluated according to its hue and saturation.
– Red Diamonds come in secondary colours, such as brown-red, orange-red, or purple-red.
– A pure Red diamond avail’s a higher per-carat price than one with a secondary hue, but a pure Red diamond is even a rarer find than a red with a secondary colour.
– Red diamonds are considered to be a hyper-concentrated occurrence of pink, making red the darkest shade of pink possible, which is why it is only able to appear in one intensity.
– The cause of the Red Color in these diamonds is due to defects in the crystal lattice that happen during their formation. The resulting colour is brighter than the crimson of a ruby or a garnet.
– Red diamonds exist in only one colour intensity FANCY. They are graded as Fancy Red, Fancy Brownish Red, Fancy Purplish Red, or Fancy Orangey Red. Their clarities range from Flawless to Included, just as other coloured diamonds.

Featured above is “The Kimberley Treasure,” a 1kg yellow gold coin embellished with 0.54cts Red Diamond from Western Australia. This is the most valuable coin and one-of-a-kind collector’s item released by The Perth Mint Australia. which was sold within 48 hours of its release. The coin’s Aussie origin is a depiction of a kangaroo, hopping across the coin. Grasped between its paws is a red diamond. On the reverse, an Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is encircled by the denomination value of 5,000 DOLLARS (Australian), as well as her name and the word “AUSTRALIA” spelt in capital letters.

Wonder why are they so Expensive and Rare?
Red Diamonds are considered the world’s most precious and rare gemstone.
– Very few Natural Red Diamonds, with no secondary colour, are known to exist in the world, making it one of the main reasons why Red diamonds command high prices per carat.
– Red diamonds are found in the same locations where Pink diamonds are discovered, which are the Argyle Mine; however, these mines are anticipated to close by the end of 2020, as the maintenance and running expenses of the mines are very high and the mines are becoming deeper, rendering the site unavailable for mining.

Images 1 & 2: A Heart-shaped 2.09cts fancy Red diamond sold at Christie’s Jewels 2014 by Moussaieff Jewellers designed as a flower head.
Image 3: Argyle Allegro™ Red Roses Earrings by Optimum Diamonds Nyc in partnership with The Nicholas Sparks Collection featuring a lifetime collection of 20 Fancy Red and Fancy Purplish Red Argyle diamonds.
These diamonds are the most exclusive and expensive shade of coloured diamond, which have continued to break records at auctions!

Why should one invest in Red diamonds?
– Owing to their 6 to 7 figure price range, Red diamonds are generally purchased by diamond investors or collectors, for resale at a later date or to complete a diamond collection.
– The fondness of the collectors and celebrities to own the rarest and the most unique diamonds in their collections explains the higher price value of these diamonds.
Out of all the diamonds, Red diamonds are the only ones whose size of under 1 carat will not disqualify them from being an investment stone.

Can Diamonds be treated to get a desirable hue of red?
I would like to briefly talk about the High-Pressure High-Temperature (HPHT) procedure.
– Nearly all “White” diamonds contain some degree of brown or yellow colour. HPHT is a diamond treatment in which Natural brown diamonds can be irradiated or have high pressure, high temperature applied to them to improve their colour, for example, a plain brown diamond when has High-Pressure High-Temperature applied, turns into a more saturated Red Diamond with brown tones. These treated diamonds are a choice for someone who loves the deep Red of the diamond without the huge price tag.
– Both investors and collectors only choose Natural Red diamonds for their investment purpose, as synthetic or colour-treated diamonds are essentially valueless.
– Often, when a buyer is seriously interested in the purchase of a very expensive diamond, they will ask for a diamond to be examined by a grading lab to ascertain its genuine.

Butterfly made of white, red, pink and green diamonds. I’m sure this must have been an insightful yet interesting article for you guys! Let me know how you like it in the comments below! Stay tuned for more discovery on Diamond!

Credits: Wikipedia, Christie’s, Sotheby, Gia Education, Leibish, Argyle Mine