What Are Red Diamonds?
Red diamonds are the rarest and most unique type of fancy colored diamond. A red diamond is a pure carbon gemstone, featuring none of the chemical impurities that create other kinds of colored diamonds.
The big mystery about red diamonds is actually about the cause of their color. Scientists are only able to hypothesize about what causes the color to appear and have not yet reached a conclusive cause. One theory, which was proposed by the GIA, is that the cause of the red hue is similar to that of pink, which is a disturbance in the atomic structure of the diamond’s lattice composition.
Where Do Red Diamonds Come From?
Very few mines produce red diamonds. Africa, Australia, Brazil and India are the areas known for having produced red diamonds. Of these areas, the Argyle mine in Western Australia is responsible for several famous red diamonds.
Their extreme rarity means almost all red diamonds are less than one carat in weight. The largest known red diamond, the Moussaieff Red Diamond, weighs 5.11 carats, and has an estimated worth of $20 million.
Red Diamond Intensity Levels
With red diamonds, there are no varying levels of color intensity. While other Fancy Color Diamonds are graded by terms like Fancy, Intense and Vivid, red diamonds are not evaluated on that scale.
Different modifiers, or overtones, may be present along with the red color. The most common, and probably the most aesthetically pleasing, is Purplish Red. Other common modifiers are Brownish and Orangey. Stones with Orangey and Brownish overtones are worth significantly less than pure Red or Purplish Red diamonds.
Red Diamond Prices
Pure red diamonds often cost in excess of $1 million per carat. This makes red diamonds the most expensive type of colored diamond.
Extreme rarity is what makes “pure” red diamonds so valuable and very pricy. Of all the Fancy Color Diamonds, red is the rarest of them all.
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