Understanding Pink Diamonds
Argyle Pink Diamonds were first discovered in the mid 1980’s in the Kimberly region of Western Australia and they are so highly regarded due to their vibrancy and intensity of colour. They are considered to be the rarest and most valuable of all pink diamonds because of their unique attributes.
The more intense the colour, the rarer and more valuable the pink diamond, with cut also a consideration. Fancy Red is the most coveted colour but individual colour grade scales exist for red, purplish red, purplish pink, pink, pink rose, pink champagne and blue.
Three key attributes assist to determine the colour grading of a pink diamond:
Hue
The dominant colour of the diamond. Modifying colours or tints might affect hue eg a diamond with a pink hue may have a purplish tint.
Saturation
The strength or intensity of pink colour in the hue. Saturation can range from light pink to intense, and at the strongest saturation, be vivid. The more intense, the rarer and more valuable the pink diamond.
Tone
The amount of lightness or darkness in the diamond, which can extend from light to dark.
Investment grade Argyle pink diamonds are given a colour classification grading of 1-5 PP, Red, BL, and 1-5 P, as per the colour chart below. Type 1a pink diamonds tend to be strong in colour saturation and intensity and generally don’t exhibit any loss of pink colour saturation in daylight or variance in transparency.
Argyle Pink Diamond stones destined to be 0.20 carat and over are engraved with a lot number and accompanied by an Argyle Pink Diamonds certificate of authenticity. This certification confirms the diamond’s colour grade and size, and offers a guarantee that it is a natural Argyle Pink Diamond.