What Are Orange Diamonds?

Orange diamonds come in different types of shades which range from a faint orange deep to a deep, vivid orange. It was believed that orange diamonds came to be as a result of an impurity of the nitrogen in its carbon crystal structure. But for experts, they disregard the belief of many regarding the reason for a diamond’s orange color.

The gemologists at William Goldberg cited that the element nitrogen is responsible for bringing out the color orange in the stone. But for Harry Winston, he believes that hydrogen is the one responsible instead. Perhaps it could be the two elements (nitrogen and hydrogen) that really causes it. But for now, the orange diamond’s true origins still remain a mystery.

Wonderful and Rare

Orange diamonds are known to be the second rarest in all of the colored diamonds where red being the first one. According to William Goldberg, less than 1% of all the diamonds are orange while the pure orange one comes in at an even lower rate. For an orange diamond to be graded, it will be based on its tint and undertones. The Pumpkin Diamond is one of the varieties that has been classified with a rare distinction of pure vivid orange that doesn’t have any brown discoloration thus making it the rarest of them all.

Orange Diamond

Famous Orange Diamonds

Now that you have an idea about what orange diamonds are,
it’s time to get more details about the famous ones from all over the world.

Vivid Orange Diamond

The Orange

This is a fancy vivid diamond that has a VS1 clarity and weighs at 14.82 carats. It broke records when it was auctioned in Christie’s Geneva auction block. Most diamonds are a Type 1b, but according to the GIA, the Orange Diamond is an exception to that rule.

Christie’s predicted that the Orange Diamond would sell in the range of $17 million to $20 million USD but to their surprise, it surpassed the original expectations for the stone and instead raked in $35.5 million USD or priced at $2.4 million USD per carat. The international head of Christie’s Jewelry Department, François Curiel, told Forbes that the Orange Diamond was a rare discovery and one of nature’s greatest miracles. In the lot notes of Christie’s, it was explained by the company that the GIA rarely sees such a diamond that exceeds more than 4 carats once it was polished thus making the Orange Diamond an anomaly for having nearly more than 4 times than the intended size.

Pumpkin Diamond

The Pumpkin Diamond

This diamond is a fancy vivid orange, cushion-shaped stone that weighs at 5.54 carat. It originally was an 11.00 carat stone with a brownish orange rough and was mined in the year 1997 in South Africa, but up to this day, the origin of the mine is still unknown. The original owner of this diamond was a farmer, and because of that, it has been theorized that it was found somewhere in the alluvial deposits.

The diamond’s rough shape was cut and polished by William Goldberg of the William Goldberg Diamond Corporation. The result revealed that the stone has a unique, intense orange color. This diamond was immediately assessed by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) which claims that the Pumpkin Diamond has been classified as one of the largest fancy vivid orange, naturally colored diamonds in the entire world.

The origin of the stone’s name was derived from the fact that the day just before Halloween (October 30, 1997), it was purchased by a man named Harry Winston during the Sotheby’s Auction for a grand price of $1.3 Million USD. The mixture of the diamond’s color, shape, and the time of the year it was purchased surely made some contribution to its current moniker.

Phillip Bloch and Ronald Winston designed the famous ring that was worn by Halle Berry when she accepted her Oscar for Best Actress in the movie, Monster’s Ball during the Academy Awards in 2002. The Pumpkin Orange diamond in Halle Berry’s ring was set in between 2 smaller white diamonds. When Harry Winston’s company acquired the Pumpkin Diamond in 1997 for a value of $1,322,500 USD or $238,718 USD per carat, no one has the slightest idea regarding how many years it would take before another fancy diamond like the Orange Pumpkin would be seen again in the market.

It was during an auction at Sotheby’s in 2010 and 2011 where these diamonds of the same caliber have resurfaced. Since these stones are a bit new to the scene, there is little-known providence for either one to note. But the hammer price alone for this one should be enough as each of them shattered the per carat cost of the world renowned Pumpkin Diamond.

Koi Diamond

The Koi Diamond

The Koi Diamond was discovered during the 21st century’s first decade in Congo. This stone is considered to be exceptional since its initial gross weight superior reaches up to 60 carats. In the year 2008 in Anvers (Belgium), this stone has been cut by a famous lapidary of the place that specializes in polishing and cutting these rare diamonds.

The Gemological Institute of America has certified the Koi Diamond. When it was first established in 1931, the GIA has been renowned as the world’s prominent authority on diamonds, pearls, and colored stones. According to the famous institute’s history, they have never encountered such reminiscent colors of a diamond with astonishing characteristics thus making the Koi Diamond truly a unique one. Even the Senior Vice President of the GIA, Thomas M. Moses, has been seduced by the captivating colors of this diamond.

For a long time, the Koi Diamond was kept in a safe but has now reappeared in a way that will provide a great viewing pleasure for the public eye.

This sole’s color and unique 32+ carat diamond represent the famous fish legend as well as sacred symbolism that has been cherished by the East Visions.

The gradation of the colors orange, white, dark blue, light yellow, and black colors in this diamond somehow signifies the ancient Chinese brush painting.