Sunday, September 11, 2011

Which colored diamonds are the rarest?

Colored natural diamonds such as red, green, blue pink and purple are so rare that many jewelers don't get the chance to see one of these diamonds throughout their entire lifetime. The rarest of all colored diamonds are red diamonds. How rare are red diamonds? Well, the fact that there are less than 20 red diamonds in existence today certainly says enough about rarity of these diamonds. The largest natural red diamond ever discovered was Moussaieff Red that weighs 5.11 carats. Hancock red is another famous red diamond weighing 0,95 carats.

The second rarest diamonds are green diamonds. There is only one famous green diamond, the majestic Dresden Green diamond that weighs 41 carats. The green color is usually the result of atomic radiation though in some cases it can also be a result of (over)exposure to hydrogen.

Purple, pink and orange diamonds are also very rare. The largest pink diamond of all time is Darya-I-Nur (meaning "Sea of light") weighing 182 carats. Most pink diamonds come from Argyle diamond mine in Australia. Most orange diamonds come from South Africa while most natural purple diamonds are modified by pink color.

Blue diamonds are also very rare though not as rare as the before mentioned colors. The most famous blue diamond in the world is the legendary "Blue Hope", and the biggest blue diamond in the world is Regent weighing 140.50 carats.

The least rare among natural colored diamonds are yellow and orange diamonds. Since they are the least rare they are usually the least expensive among colored diamonds though certain examples with very vivid hues can also achieve astronomical prices.

It also has to be said that many diamonds are being treated to change their colors (enhanced diamonds). The mostly used color treatment method is High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT). The colored diamonds that were treated usually cost significantly less compared to colored diamonds that weren't treated so make sure not to check the diamond certificate before buying certain piece of diamond jewelry.

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