Red diamonds are among the rarest diamonds on our planet. This natural, red-colored precious stone is usually unearthed in Brazil, Africa, and Australia. The fact that only 20 to 30 of these genuine diamonds exist. They are also believed to be about less than half of a carat when it comes to size.
The Color
What makes red diamonds extremely unique is that it doesn’t get its red color from other elements such as boron or nitrogen. Just like colorless diamonds, these colored diamonds are carbon-based. Their red color comes from a unique reaction in their atomic structure.
The moment a red diamond is unearthed, light passes through its uneven lattice. This makes the diamond reflect a red color, similar to a ruby’s. The lighting that surrounds the red diamond influences the appearance of red diamonds. If you want to look at a red diamond, place it in daylight or in front of candlelight. They look terrible in fluorescent lighting.
Red diamonds can have a color range of dark pink to a dark purplish-red.
The Price
The value of a red diamond depends on the strength of its color. The rarer the red diamond is, the more coveted it is. Experts even project that the price of red diamonds will double in the next few years. Presently, a natural red diamond is priced just under 100,000 USD if it is more than 0.20 carats.
Well-Known Red Diamonds
Rob Red
This 0.59ct, the pear-shaped fancy red diamond is the purest, most saturated red diamond, when measured using instruments and by visual examination.
Hancock Red
Weighing 0.95ct, this red diamond has a round cut and named after the popular collector, Mr. Warren Hancock. This precious stone is known for its purplish-red hue. It’s believed that Hancock paid about 13,500 USD for the said diamond, back in 1956. He then sold it for about 880,000 USD in 1987.
Supreme Purple Star
At 2 to 5 carats, this round cut deep purple diamond is extremely unique. The precise clarity and color of the Supreme Purple Star haven’t been revealed yet. From an angle, it looks deep purple. When you rotate it in the right light, it turns a bright purplish red.
Moussaieff Red Diamond
Also known as the Red Shield, the Moussaieff Red is a trilliant cut, 5.11ct diamond that is internally flawless. A Brazilian farmer discovered this diamond in the 90s, in the Abzetezinho River. When it was discovered, it weighed 13.90 carats. The Moussaieff jewelry company bought it for 8 Million USD. It is the largest red diamond in existence.
The Moussaieff diamond remained unmodified until the William Goldberg Diamond Corporation of New York purchased it. During the processing of the diamond, it lost 8.79 carats. Even so, it is now a stunning, triangular cut stone.
Three Traits
Red diamonds can be characterized by using three traits:
Tones
This trait refers to the intensity that the diamond gives off. The tone of a diamond can either be light or dark. It ranges from very light to very dark.
Hues
The color of a natural, fancy color diamond depends on its hues. For red diamonds, various secondary hues are present. These hues are purplish red, brownish red, or an orangey red.
Saturation
This is the weakness or the strength of a fancy color diamond. Darker ones range from dark to deep tones. Lighter ones range from faint to vivid tones.
Grading
Red diamonds are near the end of the spectrum of pink diamonds. They cannot be graded as red pink or dark pink because they are extremely saturated. Usually, fancy colored diamonds are graded into four different intensity levels. With red diamonds, there is only one grade and that is fancy red.
Lab-Grown
These red diamonds are manufactured through a synthetic process and not through the natural geological one. They are more inexpensive, conflict-free, and environmental-friendly. You can get lab-grown diamonds without digging and destroying lands. Diamond scientists make them in the right lab conditions that imitate properties and processes involved in making natural diamonds.
Enhanced
Diamonds of this type are made through a post-growth treatment and irradiation. The intensity and the color of the diamond ultimately change after the treatment. Red diamonds of this type can either be natural or lab-grown. With the help of irradiation, neutrons bombard the diamonds, changing their crystal lattice structure, altering their color. The diamond is heated to attain the reddish coloration. Larger diamonds may be more difficult to treat.
Red diamonds are gorgeous and mesmerizing, whether they’re natural, enhanced, or lab-grown. In such a huge way, these diamonds are a gift because it is not common for them to appear naturally. When they do come out from under the Earth, they are immensely expensive. Thanks to laboratory and enhancing processes, you can avail of a red diamond that’s more friendly to your bank account.