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Without exception, when I think of important diamonds, the colored varieties come to mind. The Hope Diamond (pictured below left) is, of course, the standard bearer of museum quality gemstones; then there is the 53.23-carat pale light yellow Sancy Diamond in the Louvre and the famous and extremely rare 41-carat Dresden Green Diamond in the Green Vault in Saxony. The one piece I personally would most love to see is the 182-carat Darya-i-Noor (pictured right) – the largest pink diamond in the world. It was part of the Imperial Crown Jewels of Iran and is presently lodged in the Central Bank of Iran.Since none of us can expect any of the above gems under the tree this year, here are a few tips if you’re thinking of gifting a colored diamond to someone special:
Go fancy, or go home. If the color is intense enough, it’s classified in the “fancy” category. When colors are richer in tone, the diamonds are further delineated into “fancy intense” and of course the pinnacle – “fancy vivid”.It’s color – not size – that matters. Red is the rarest of them all - the largest fancy red diamond is a mere 5.11 carats! Yellows are the most plentiful, which means that a high quality white “D” color diamond would typically be valued higher. (There are exceptions, of course, like the Tiffany Yellow Diamond, pictured right). And then there’s everything in between: orange, cognac/browns, blue-greens, even greys!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Unlike with white diamonds, there is a wide range of tone and depth to any colored variety, and it ultimately comes down to personal preference. For instance, a fancy purplish-pink diamond – one of my personal favorites - can have infinite variations in color. So trust your instincts, and your taste. When it comes to giving a diamond, you really can’t go wrong.Next week: Proper Holiday Gift Giving.
Images: Hope Diamond, courtesy: Smithsonian Institute; Dresden Green Diamond, courtesy: WorldIsRound.com; Tiffany Yellow Diamond, courtesy: Tiffany & Co.
In the Loupe is authored by CIRCA’s resident trendspotter and style maven. She’s traveled the world, dabbling in high finance, haute cuisine, and fine art at one of the world’s leading auction houses, before finding her true calling in the world of priceless gems. The result is a genuine global luxury connoisseur, with a knowledge and appreciation of beauty, quality and true style. She is one of the industry’s foremost experts on the valuation of fine gems and jewelry, and is now happy to share her discerning eye and impeccable taste to help you look and feel fabulous! Print this post
