Their scarcity and intriguing looks continue to make pink diamonds more appealing to the lovers of precious metals. Apart from being highly valuable, pink diamonds are much more appreciated due to their sophisticated nature, more so with the mystery surrounding their gemological information. There are many theories on why such rare diamonds are different from the standard ones. Diamonds are fascinating to see, let alone owning them. Add natural pink color to them, and people will go into a frenzy. If you don’t know much about these rare diamonds, then read on to find out the 6 surprising facts that will make you consider pink diamonds.
1. Pink diamonds trace their origin to Australia
Historically, pink diamonds have been found in India, South Africa, Brazil, Canada, and Russia. However, more than 90% of the world’s natural pink diamonds traces its origin to Australia. Having been in operation since 1983, the Argyle Diamond Mine in Western Australia has consistently been producing these rare diamonds and is expected to remain open until 2020.
2. They are created differently
Most of the world’s diamonds are found in a kimberlite pipe. However, pink diamonds are found in volcanic lamproite pipes.
3. Pink diamonds are exceedingly rare
Pink diamonds are as rare as they are stunning. Amazingly, of all the output from the Argyle Diamond mine, only 1% consists of pink diamonds. If you would like to put this in terms of the carats mined, only one carat of the Australian Pink Diamonds is suitable to be processed and sold, out of a million carats mined.
Of the millions of stones mined annually, only fifty to sixty of them are found to have pink diamonds. This makes such diamonds to become some of the rarest precious metals in the world. As of now, it is estimated that only about five hundred gems of pink diamonds remain to be picked; a reason why the mine could be closed in 2020.
4. Their color is still a mystery
While lots of research have had a substantive conclusion on how other colored diamonds get their unique colors, there is no apparent reason behind the pink ones. Some of the major theories which try to explain where pink diamonds get their color from include one which focuses on plastic deformation.
This structural defect comes about when the diamond is forced to the earth’s surface, making it altered. The deformation forces the metal to absorb light differently, making it emit a pink color.
5. It is one of the most valuable diamonds in the world
A fine quality, a freshly-cut white diamond can fetch only about $5,000 when sold. However, a carat of a pink diamond in Australia can cost anywhere between $100,000 to a million. The price it fetches varies depending on the clarity, the shade of the color, cut and clarity.
Secondary hues also significantly affect the end price of the diamond. Diamonds that have a brown secondary color might be considered more ‘affordable’ considered to one which has a purplish hue.
6. They are more difficult to polish
Polishing white diamonds, to get rid of impurities and presenting it in its pure form can take a long time to accomplish. Pink diamonds are not an exception either. They take as much as three to four more times than the white diamonds to polish. A lot of time and resources are put to get a pure Australian pink diamond.
