What's So Special About Orange Diamonds?

Capture the Essence! of Orange Diamonds with this Colored Diamond Cocktail Cluster Ring with Orange Diamonds. Photo ©2015 EraGem Jewelry. A fancy orange diamond mingles with fancy yellow, fancy green, blue, champagne, and white diamonds to form this gorgeous cluster cocktail ring set in 18k yellow gold.  Colored diamonds enjoy a special status in the world of jewels. Not only are they rare, but they take the exquisite fire of a diamond to a whole new level. As demonstrated by this magnificent ring, colored diamonds come in nearly every color, but it is the orange diamond with which we are concerned today.

Orange Diamonds

Orange diamonds come in a variety of shades, ranging from faint orange to deep, vivid orange. It has long been believed that the color is a result of a nitrogen impurity in the carbon crystal structure. However, experts disagree about what causes the orange in diamonds. Gemologists at William Goldberg cite nitrogen as the element responsible {2}. However, Harry Winston believes hydrogen is the culprit. Perhaps it is a combination of the two that really comes into play. For now, the true source of orange in diamonds remains a mystery {2}. These orange beauties are found primarily in the mines of South Africa and Western Australia. Orange diamonds are counted among those other hard-to-find colors, such as blue, pink, red, and green. The most desirable would be a Fancy Vivid Orange, which is an orange diamond without a hint of brown.  As you might expect, most of these rare beauties have become historically famous and now reside in the collections of some of the world's most celebrated jewelry collectors.

Famous Orange Diamonds

Two of the most famous orange diamonds are the Pumpkin Diamond, owned as recently as 2003 by Harry Winston {7}, and the Koi Diamond, owned as recently as 2013 by the Rawstone Business Holding {1}. The Pumpkin Diamond is a Fancy Vivid Orange which weighs 5.54 carats. It was mounted in a pinky ring designed by Harry Winston in 1997/98. It was worn by Halle Berry on her left hand during the 2002 Academy Awards ceremony. If you haven't seen her acceptance speech, I highly recommend giving it a viewing. It remains one of Hollywood's most moving moments. The Koi Diamond is a multi-hued orange and white diamond weighing 32 carats, which has been cut in the shape of Japan's celebrated Koi fish {1}. The pattern of colors adds to the resemblance and makes the Koi Diamond one of the most unique fancy-colored diamonds in the world.

Rare and Wonderful

Orange diamonds are the second rarest colored diamonds, with red being the rarest. According to William Goldberg, less than 1% of all diamonds are orange, with pure orange coming in at an even lower rate {8}. The grading of an orange diamond is based on tint and undertones. The Pumpkin Diamond has been classified with the rare distinction of pure vivid orange without a hint of brown, making it among the rarest of the rare. What do you think of orange diamonds? Would you wear a fancy vivid orange diamond? Perhaps your style would lead you away from the rarest of the rare and more toward a yellow-orange stone, or a browner orange, like the one pictured in the cocktail ring. What about it? Which shade of orange do you prefer?

References

1. Butler, Phil. "Sparkling Koi Diamond, the ultimate embodiment of Japanese legend and tradition," Japan Today, May 19, 2013.
2. Genis, Robert. "Collecting Orange Diamonds," Gem Forecaster, November 2003.
3. Natural Color Diamond Association (NCDA). "Orange Diamonds." Accessed January 30, 2015.
4. Naturally Colored. "Orange Diamonds." Accessed January 30, 2015. http://www.naturallycolored.com/diamond-education/orange-diamonds-wiki.
5. Rachminov Diamonds, 1891. "Fancy Color." PDF accessed January 30, 2015.
6. Rare Colored Diamonds. "FAQs." Accessed January 30, 2015. http://www.rarecoloreddiamonds.com/faqs.html.
7. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. "The Splendor of Diamonds." Accessed January 30, 2015.
8. William Goldberg. "Orange Diamonds: Colors of the Fall," October 24, 2012.