Tag Archive for 'Coloured Diamonds'

An Easy Guide To Pink Diamonds

Published on September 11, 2011 in Diamond Education, Diamonds, Pink Diamond Investment and Pink Diamonds. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

With all of the hype surrounding pink diamonds, it’s only natural that the popularity has increased for replacing the typical white diamond set in your engagement ring with a gorgeous pink diamond.

Pink diamonds are one of the most valuable coloured diamonds in the market which makes the decision of picking the perfect pink rock for you, just as significant! This means when shopping for a pink diamond engagement ring, first find out all you can about pink diamonds through your own research, who the most reputable jewellery professional as well as extremely knowledgeable in pink diamonds and lastly but most importantly, never rush into buying your pink diamond!

Pink Diamond Origin

The very first pink diamond to be known about was found in 1643, where it was gifted to Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Conde and Commander of the French Army during the Thirty Years War. This light pink coloured diamond, named, Conde Pink Diamond, weighed 9.01 carats and was later bought by Louis XIII but now sits in the very famous, Musee de Conde in Chantilly, France.

Throughout history, large pink diamonds have surfaced to make their grand appearance but only recently, have people’s perception increased of its value within the last 30 years, when the Argyle Diamond Mine released its first pink diamond in 1985.

While scientists are still unsure as to what truly forms a pink diamond, they’re 100% sure of the fact that these little beauties go through the worst malformation abuse of all white and coloured diamonds. Only found in one kind of rock, called Lamproite, has made Australia famous for pink diamonds since no other active mines have yet been found to contain these gorgeous diamond’s very unique mode of transportation.

Searching For Your Pink Diamond

With the Argyle Diamond Mine producing one-third (around 35 million diamonds per year) of the world’s natural supply of diamonds, it only makes sense that they also produce the largest amount of pink diamonds. With 45% of their diamonds in the near gem quality diamond pile and 50% of industry quality diamonds, that leaves a mere 5% of rare, coloured diamonds out of which, only 0.1% of that will be pink diamonds.

To put that into better context, for every 10,000 white diamonds mined, only one pink diamond will be mined and the chances of that one pink diamond being an industry quality diamond is even rarer than that!

The Argyle Diamond Mine does release a very small, set amount of pink diamonds each year but only to select clientele. These lovely stones will always be very limited due to their rarity and more severely, the fact that by 2030, pink diamond mining will come to an end with the belief that no more pink diamonds will be available to mine.

The fact that the pink diamond supply will eventually cease may make you feel the urge to rush out and get one but this is an investment that you should NEVER take lightly or be rash about.

The first and most obvious step to take, once you’ve found a jeweller who specialises or is very knowledgeable in pink diamonds, is to set an appointment with your jewellery professional. He/She will be able to let you know what’s available, what’s a good asking price and narrow down your options to make a well educated decision.

If you can’t afford hundreds of thousands of dollars (or millions), then lighten up your choices – literally! The lighter and more faint a pink diamond is, the lesser the price. The darker and more vivid of the pink in a diamond, the price steeply climbs up the ladder.

Remember that pink diamonds aren’t ever remotely near anything close to a cheap price and you’ll never find a sale surrounding it. In other words, be prepared to spend a substantial amount when you make your final purchase!

Creating Your Pink Diamond Engagement Ring

Jewellery professionals are talented artists who appreciate every aspect of what makes up any piece of jewellery. If you’re planning on having a pink diamond engagement ring to pop the question with, then your best bet is to have the ring design customised so that this engagement ring gets a fabulous one-of-a-kind design the pink diamond truly deserves!

Your jewellery professional will sit down with you to go over many different designs of ideas he/she has that will enhance the pink diamond’s quality and appearance while also taking your own ideas and thoughts to create some designs of your own.

If you already know exactly what look you’ll be going for, then go ahead and sketch out your thoughts. Even if you aren’t the best artist in the world, your jewellery professional will understand once you’ve arrived at your appointment.

After looking through all of the different engagement ring designs that both of you have drawn up, the final outcome will produce the exact design you had in mind while including the final tweaking it needs to produce the perfect engagement ring.

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The Top 10 Most Common Questions About Diamonds

Published on September 4, 2011 in Coloured Diamonds, Diamond Certification, Diamond Education, Diamonds, Eskae Private Jeweller and White Diamonds. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

1. How are diamonds formed?

The formation process that diamonds go through is absolutely amazing! Diamonds are the only element discovered that consist of one single element, Carbon, that form between 120-200 kms below the earth’s surface.

Obviously, the farther below the earth’s surface you go, the hotter the temperature gets, majorly increasing the pressure from all of the layers of surface above. This extreme heat and large weight of pressure cause carbon atoms to crystallise – which is how we get these beautiful diamonds that we treasure.

2. How are diamonds mined?

Not many people really think too much about the extraction part of the diamond process when putting a diamond on their finger but extraction is exactly what mining diamonds is. Before it can even be worthy of catching your eye, diamonds are pretty unrecognisable when inside of a mine.

Because it takes great skill and patience to gather diamonds without damaging them, there are two types of mining that are the most commonly used methods: Pipe mining and alluvial mining. Pipe mining is the more dramatic of the two since it involves recovering diamonds from volcanic pipes. Miners have to be lowered deep within the cave to be able to find these valuable stones.

Alluvial mining is a little less intense  and one that most people are likely to be more familiar with since it’s done above the earth’s surface. This type involves the screen you’ve actually seen before at riverbeds and ocean beaches, where people sway them back and forth, sifting in search of diamonds and other treasures.

3. Can diamonds break easily?

This is a very important question because the popular thought is that diamonds are invincible when surprisingly, they’re not!  Remember that even Superman has his weaknesses!

While they are the strongest gemstone known to man, they can still go through wear and tear just like any other precious stone and yes, diamonds absolutely can be broken if hit hard enough with a hammer (not that anyone would likely want to do this!).

Not only can they be damaged, they can also damage other gemstones if sitting too close together. For example, if a person is wearing two rings next to each other – a diamond ring on the ring finger and a ruby ring on the middle finger – and both rings accidentally turn towards each other, the diamond will win that battle, hands down.

4. What are the 4 C’s?

Instead of constantly spelling out all four components that make up a diamonds value (cut, clarity, colour, carat), it’s commonly known as the 4 C’s in the jewellery world.

The cut of a diamond is perhaps the most important ‘C’ of the bunch. This is what determines a diamond’s beauty and when cut to perfection, will enhance the diamond’s colour and hide inclusions at the same time.

Since everything is based on the diameter of the diamond, the perfect diameter for a 1ct. round diamond is exactly 6.50mm – not 6.48mm or 6.55mm – but 6.50mm. This allows for the perfect proportion to then be cut, resulting in a diamond that is now able to break up white light into the appropriate colour spectrum very strongly rather than very weakly.

The clarity of a diamond has to do with how ‘clear’ a diamond is. Any inclusions or imperfection within the diamond can lower its overall grade which decreases the diamonds value. In layman’s terms, the more clarity a diamond has, the more the diamond is worth.

The colour of a diamond is simply just that: the colour. Diamonds come in a beautiful variety of colours, to include just about any colour you can think of. To distinguish the difference between their colours, the terms Faint through Fancy and Fancy through Fancy Vivid are given to these gorgeous coloured diamonds.

And finally, the carat, refers to the weight of the diamond (see question #7).

5. What process do diamonds go through to get that, ‘Girl’s Best Friend’ sparkling, Fire and Brilliance finish?

Believe it or not, diamonds don’t pop out of the earth, glittering and ready to be sold! Diamonds are actually pretty dirty rocks that take an enormous amount of fixing up to get it engagement ring ready. Of course, diamonds are valuable as rough, raw stones but cutting and polishing them improve the diamond’s value by a minimum of 50%!

In order to get the full price and value put into a diamond, it takes an extreme amount of expertise and patience (this process can sometimes take up to an entire year to finish!) until the diamond is ready to be placed into a jewellery setting.

The first important C’s of any diamond is its cut, followed closely by the diamond’s colour. This is what gives each diamond, what I refer to as, that ‘Fire and Brilliance’. The cut and colour of every diamond is its heart and soul which makes these two C’s matter greatly in just how important a good diamond is.

Because diamonds rate a full 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness, very precise tools, such as diamond saws and lasers, are used to cut the shape of the diamond. A Russian mathematician, Marcel Tolkowsky, worked out a formula in the early 1900′s that’s used nowadays to maximise the Fire and Brilliance of diamonds.

To give it that special dazzling factor, jewellery professionals use a special formula to determine where the facets should be placed on the diamond. The final process involves a fine, mechanically controlled saw, a laser or a rotating disk that is sprinkled with diamond powder.

6. What constitutes the carat of a diamond?

This is a very short answer with a single explanation: Technically speaking, a diamond’s carat is the term used to express the weight of a diamond, with one carat equalling 200 milligrams of actual weight. If a diamond is extremely small, it can then be expressed by points, i.e. 0.01 or one-hundredth of a carat.

7. Is there a difference between certified and uncertified diamonds?

Those who aren’t in the professional world of jewellery have a hard time fully grasping the concept of certified and uncertified diamonds. The reason that the difference between both kinds of diamonds might throw people off is because these words sound more like more valuable and less valuable. This is a diamond myth that has absolutely nothing to do with a diamond’s value, whatsoever!

Certified diamonds are graded diamonds. In other words, diamonds with a piece of paper that reputable gemmology labs grade a diamond’s quality with. This may sound a little disappointing but it’s actually the biggest difference between certified and uncertified.

Now, here is where this myth that certified diamonds cost more lies: Diamond wholesalers who possess a certified diamond will occasionally charge more for a certified diamond because the buyer knows without a doubt that everything about the diamond is authentic. This has nothing to do with the certification and has everything to do with the seller.

8. What are the three most famous diamonds in the world?

There are so many famous diamonds but sticking to the three biggest and most magnificent diamonds:

The Cullinan diamond: This is, without a doubt, the biggest diamond to have ever been discovered to date. Coming in at 3,106.75 carats of pure white diamond, it was then cut into nine smaller (figuratively speaking) diamonds with the two biggest rocks taking on famous names themselves: The Great Star of Africa (or Cullinan I) weighing 530 carats and the Lesser Star of Africa (or Cullinan II) weighing 317 carats

The Golden Jubilee: The reason for this diamond’s fame isn’t just on carat weight alone but for its colour. The Golden Jubilee is the biggest brown diamond to make its way to the earth’s surface with a whopping weight of 345.67 carats!

The Incomparable: This amazing yellow diamond was first discovered in its 890 carat glory but after being cut and polished, still holds firmly in third place with 407.48 carats of pure beauty.

9. Are diamonds a good investment?

Absolutely! Diamonds will always be valuable and is the one precious stone that will always remain in tact and at the top of the gem hierarchy. They’re a completely tangible investment because of this very reason.

Even if there is a slight fall in inflation, diamonds are guaranteed to ALWAYS go back up on the rise. Even if it’s hard to find a buyer right off the bat, it’s like any other investment that takes patience. The rewards that can be reaped by diamond investments can cover pensions, send children to college and provide a life of financial security if the right investment techniques are used.

10. Where can people find the best quality diamonds?

The most important advice for those who are looking for the best quality diamonds that nature has to offer, is to begin their search with the most reputable jewellery professional in town. Clients need to feel a sense of security and trust with their jewellery professional before rushing into any purchase so that they’re left 100% satisfied with their purchase with all questions answered.

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The 10 Most Expensive Dream Shoes – Shoes 6 through 1

Published on July 24, 2011 in Coloured Diamonds, Diamonds, Gemstones, Rubies, Sapphires, Tanzanite and White Diamonds. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Continuing on with the World’s Top 10 Most Expensive Shoes:

5. Dream Shoe Designer: Stuart Weitzmann, assisted by Oscar Heyman Bros.

Fully understanding what women want out of a shoe, Stuart Weitzmann has created some of the finest, artistic and most expensive shoes of our time. Designing, perhaps, a coveted shoe during the times of The Wizard of Oz, these sparkly red slippers are fully studded with 642 oval Burma rubies that come in with a total weight of 123-33 carats and are set in a half pound of platinum.

When the stilettos were first created, they were the most expensive shoe of their time and designed to be worn only by the famous. Currently ranking in at #5 on the list of Most Expensive Dream Shoes, they still cost an arm and a leg of $1.6 million USD.

4. Dream Shoe Designer: Stuart Weitzmann

Deemed the ‘Cinderella slippers’, these elegant heels are heavy with 565 platinum-set Kwiat diamonds that total up to 55 carats of clear diamonds and one enormous 5 carat amaretto diamond, worth one million USD on its own, on each shoe.

These fairytale 4 ½ inch stiletto shoes are every girl’s dream and with their steep cost, may just remain that! While they’ve been worn once by Allison Kraus at the 2004 Oscar ceremony, these shoes now sit on display in Beverly Hills, California and are worth $2 million USD.

3. Dream Shoe Designer: Stuart Weitzmann and Jeweller, Le Vian

Tying 3rd and 4th place with himself on the most expensive shoes list, Stuart Weitzmann, in collaboration with Le Vian, have created another $2 million USD pair of evening shoes.

Rightfully so, these million dollar stilettos rank in the top 5 of the world’s most expensive shoes due to the 185 carats of museum quality tanzanite, 28 carats of diamonds and another huge 16 carat tanzanite that dangles on the front of the heel from the ankle strap. All of these rare and precious stones are placed on the silver leather embellished shoe making it one of the daintiest and rarest high-heeled stilettos ever made.

2. Dream Shoe Designer: Ronald Winston from the House of Harry Winston

Not to be outdone by Stuart Weitzman, Ronald Winston carries on The Wizard of Oz theme by celebrating its 50th anniversary with these Harry Winston Ruby Slippers. Tying in at first place with Stuart Weitzmann on the #1 spot, not only are they eye-blindingly glittery with very possibly, more rubies that any person has seen at once, they also carry more weight than any shoe designed to date! Completely covered in 4,600 valuable rubies, these low-heeled pumps have a total weight of 1,350 carats or pure ruby.

To coincide with this one-of-a-kind pair of treasures, it also carries a one-of-a-kind price tag of $3 million USD!

1. Dream Shoe Designer: Stuart Weitzmann

The factor that determined whether the Harry Winston Ruby Slippers or the Stuart Weitzmann Rita Hayworth Heels took the number one spot was which shoe was more current.

Labelled as the most recent, over-the-top creation in designer shoes, these shoes were inspired by earrings worn by the late Rita Hayworth and worn only once by singer/songwriter, Kathleen Bird York, at the 2006 Oscars. Now owned by Rita Haworth’s daughter, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, they’re off the market although their beauty can still be admired from afar.

These open-toed heels were designed using a rust-coloured satin and decorated with rubies, sapphires and diamonds, all nested in the satin ruffle at the toe of the shoe. Unsurprisingly, the Rita Hayworth shoes hold their value at $300 million USD.

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top 10 biggest diamonds in the world

Published on May 1, 2011 in Coloured Diamonds, Diamond Education, Diamonds and White Diamonds. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

The Top 10 Biggest Diamonds In The World

These legendary top 10 biggest diamonds in the world come in all shapes and sizes. While their prices are sure to be left to pure royalty, there is no limit to the amount of admiration and awe to be shared amongst everyone.

Take a look for yourself and see if you aren’t dazzled by these diamonds!

1. The Golden Jubilee

Weight: 545.67 carats or 109.13 g

Estimated Value: $8 – $12 million

Firmly holding onto its #1 spot, The Golden Jubilee is the largest known diamond in the world! This large brown diamond was discovered in 1985 in a premier mine in South Africa with the original total rough shape weight of 755.5 carats (151 g) which was later reshaped and resized. The first name originally given to this enormous diamond was simply, ‘Unnamed Brown’. In honor of King Bhumibol Adulyade’s 50th coronation anniversary, this brown diamond was presented to him as a gift during which, he renamed the brown diamond as ‘The Golden Jubilee’.

2. The Cullinan I

Weight: 530.4 carats or 106.1 g

Estimated Value: Over $400 million

Also commonly known as Star of Africa, the Cullinan I is the second largest diamond in the world. This pear shaped diamond measures 58.9 mm × 45.4 mm × 27.7 mm. It is called the Cullinan I since it was the largest of the 9 stones cut from the Cullinan Diamond which weighed 3106 carats when first discovered. The Cullinan Diamond was named after Thomas Cullinan (later Sir Thomas), who was a South African mine company owner.

3. The Incomparable

Weight: 407.48 carats

Estimated Value: $600,000

The Incomparable is the third largest diamond in the world, measuring in at 53.90 mm × 35.19 mm × 28.18 mm and was found in the town of Mbuji Mayi in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) in the 1980s. This large rock was first discovered in its rough state weighing 890 carats, then reshaped and resized and finally adjusted into a ring. The cutting of the diamond was done by a the team of Marvin Samuels, who was the co-owner of the stone together along with Donald Zale of Zales Jewellers and Louis Glick.

4. The Cullinan II

Weight: 317.40 carats

Estimated Value: Unknown

Initially dismissed as a real diamond, the cushion-shaped Cullinan II is now the fourth largest diamond of the world. Discovered by mine manager, Fred Wells, this diamond rests in the center-front of the Imperial Stat Crown of Great Britain which had, at one time, belonged to Queen Elizabeth II of England. It was cut from the same rough diamond, the Cullinan, and fascinatingly, has two loops on either side to wear it as a broach or with the Cullinan I.

5. The Spirit of de Grisogono

Weight: 312.24 carats

Estimated Value: Unknown

Coming in as the fifth largest diamond in the world, the Spirit of de Grisogono is also the world’s largest cut black diamond, discovered in West Central Africa. This deep, dark diamond’s original rough weight was 587 carats but was later cut and resized.  It’s now fitted into a ring and is encrusted with 702 small white diamonds which have a total weight of 36.69 carats.

6. The Centenary

Weight: 273.85 carats

Estimated Value: Unknown

The Centenary, discovered on 17th July 1986, is the sixth largest diamond of the world and has an almost heart-shaped appearance. This perfect coloured diamond was found at the premier mine by the electric X-ray recovery system at the Premier Mine and those who were a part of it were sworn to secrecy. The rough shape weight of this diamond was 599 carats with 247 facets, measuring in at 39.90mm × 50.50mm × 24.55 mm. It has since been reshaped and resized.

7. The Jubilee

Weight: 245.35 carats

Estimated Value: Unknown, although, in 1900, its estimated value was 7,000,000 francs.

The seventh largest diamond in the world is the colourless, cushion-shaped Jubilee. Discovered in 1895 in the Jagersfontein Mine located in South Africa, it was sent to Amsterdam where it was polished by M.B. Barends. The previous name given to original diamond before it was cleaved was the Reitz in honour of the then president of the Orange Free State, Francis William Reitz. After a 40 carat slab was separated from the original 650.80 carats of rough diamond, the remaining piece was polished, renamed as the Jubilee and destined to be sent to Queen Victoria. The Jubilee is now located in the Royal Thai Palace and is fixed into the crown along with other expensive and popular jewels.

8. The De Beers

Weight: 234.65 carats

Estimated Value: Would be valued $20 – $30 million if found again

The De Beers is the eighth largest diamond in the world and was discovered in the Kimberly mines located in South Africa in 1888. Before being resized and reshaped this amazing diamond weighed 428.50 carats. It was bought by the Maharaja of Patiala and then fitted into a necklace which was named the Patiala Necklace. In 1978, after being loaned to an event in Israel, the famous necklace went missing until it turned up later at a second-hand jewellery shop in London in 1998 – without the De Beers diamond. This light yellow diamond has yet to be found and until that day arrives, De Beers allowed Cartier to restore a cubic zirconium look-a-like to replace its spot on the Patiala Necklace.

9. The Red Cross

Weight: 205.07

Estimated Value: £2 million

The Red Cross is the ninth largest diamond of the world weighing 205.07 was also discovered in the Kimberly mines, South Africa but at a later date in 1901. There are two extremely significant features that make this canary yellow diamond so valuable and unique. The first rare feature is that after exposure to brilliant light, it emits those rays becoming self-luminous in the dark. Even more intriguing is its second rare feature: The Maltese Cross distinctly visible in the top facet, hence its name, the Red Cross.

10. The Millennium Star

Weight: 203.04 carats

Estimated Value: While the estimated value is kept private, it was insured by De Beers Chairman, Nicky Oppenheimer, for £100 million

Although it’s the last of the Top 10 List, the Millennium Star diamond is definitely not the least and is in fact, the second largest faceted D-Flawless diamond in the world. Discovered in Zaire in 1990, this clear blue coloured stone weighed 777 carats in its rough state and was considered to be a magical number. What makes this diamond extremely exceptional is that it is externally flawless without a single scratch or burn marks on any of the facets.

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Pink Diamond Investment Success!

Published on April 10, 2011 in Coloured Diamonds, Diamonds, Eskae Private Jeweller, Pink Diamond Investment and Pink Diamonds. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Everyone loves a good success story for several reasons. They’re uplifting, demonstrate positive outcomes and most importantly, are inspiring. Talking about beautiful, sparkly and dazzling precious stones lets the imagination run endlessly and is anything but boring.

Having spent time discussing how to begin a pink diamond investment and the high amount of patience needed to successfully yield a profitable asset can leave the inexperienced wondering what their outcome could one day be. Therefore, to have a little fun, here are three amazing examples of diamonds being put to use:

Imagine this Mercedes Benz, literally covered in diamonds, as your own success story:

Or this snazzy iPhone 4 complete with a 7.4 carat pink diamond:

And if that’s not enough, what about this Philips Ambilight television encrusted with 2,000 diamonds?

Now, these examples may be a bit extreme but it’s an entertaining way to put into visualisation what most wish to come out of their very own savings. When talking about any beginning investment, there’s so much knowledge to retain and steps to be taken that sometimes, the outcome – being the best part – is easily forgotten

Recently, the success of the pink diamond market has been splashing all over international headlines, shattering world records and as a result, has put the spotlight onto these one-of-a-kind diamonds. It has become a global investment, picking up status at such a fast pace, that specialty investors have been scrambling to keep up with demand.

Obviously, this causes pink diamond investments to be an extremely finicky market since even the smallest of diamond investments requires only those with enormous amounts of capital to enter into this league. It also results in these auctions being few and far between since less than 10% of all pink diamonds mined weigh more than .20 carats. This makes bidding extremely fierce and allowing only the best of the best able to participate in the auctions.

Because of fiscal magnitude that these pink diamond auctions hold, invitations are extremely selective and offered specifically to those who can put down the premium capital required by the auction holder by either cashier’s check or bank wire transfer.

Upon this deposit, only buyers who can provide their financial suitability beforehand will even be allowed to participate in the bidding process! While people may have the opportunity to bid on one or more different stones, bargains are rarely found since the sellers are specialty dealers who normally have their own select clientele.

If the chance to bid does come up, nearly all of the bidder’s financial data must be provided with the understanding that little discretion and confidentiality will be included.

These little pink stones consist of mere ounces in net weight, however, carry enormous monetary weight and typically,

Actual Carat Size

aren’t any bigger than the tip of a matchstick. Concealing these pint-sized fortunes is so simple that many people feel safer carrying them on their body – hemlines, folded pieces of paper, shoes, etc.

Understandably, all of these reasons combined call for excessive security measures to be taken. This is why you’ll seldom hear the location of any diamond auction, the prices will always be kept private and if a pink diamond is purchased, you’ll rarely hear the buyers name released to the public until its new location and insurance are fully covered.

The discretion that is used for this process gives pink diamond auctions a mysterious and desirable air about it. Therefore, when a huge pink diamond is auctioned, it makes international headlining testimonials, becoming highly inspirational to people who have merely thought about taking the first step into this investment.

Take the three most famous pink diamonds that sold at recent auctions, for example.

The 24.78-carat emerald-cut pink diamond purchased by Pattie Wong, Sotheby’s Chairman in Asia, on behalf of Laurence Graff, a London jewellery dealer, for $46 million francs at the Sotheby auction:

World Record: This fancy-intense pink diamond has set the world auction record for not only the purest and most vibrant of any diamonds sold at an auction but also for the price any diamond or jewel has ever previously sold for.

The 5-carat fancy-vivid pink diamond purchased by Chinese stock-investor tycoon Liu Yiqian and his wife, Wang Wei, for $83.5 million HK at the Christie’s International auction:

World Record: This purple-pink diamond set the record for price per carat for diamonds sold at any auction!

The 10.11 fancy coloured pink diamond with VS2 clarity was purchased by an anonymous bidder via phone for $2.3 million CAN at the Toronto-held Circa auction. Since the buyer has wished to maintain confidentiality for security reasons, there have only been a handful of pictures released and zero video footage for the time being.

World Record: This pink diamond set the new record in the country for price per carat, not only for Canadian diamonds but for any gem in Canadian history!

In just over a span of one year, there have been three world records broken and all have revolved around pink diamonds. Perfect examples for the perfect investment!

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Beginning Your Pink Diamond Investment – Part 3

Published on April 3, 2011 in Coloured Diamonds, Diamonds, Pink Diamond Investment and Pink Diamonds. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Embarking on such a rare and rewarding investment involving rare pink diamonds naturally brings about some precautionary questions. There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking these questions, in fact, not asking any questions would mean that you’re not taking this investment serious enough!

To wrap up this series of Beginning Your Pink Diamond Investment, let’s take a look at the Do’s and Don’ts to watch out for. Now that you have the general idea of what it takes to get started on your new pink diamond investments, this will give you a better outlook of exactly what to look for and where to target your new found assets.

Don’t buy pink diamonds online:

This is one of the most important ‘don’ts’ when considering putting your stock into the pink diamond market. As with anything costly, the last item you’d ever want to purchase is an imitation pink stone or even worse, get sucked in by an online scam.

Pink diamond jewellery and gemstones sold online are meant to appear enticing and affordable but have you ever hear the saying, ‘If it looks too good to be true, it probably is’? This adage couldn’t have been applied to a better example!

It’s inevitable with the production of pink diamonds declining, that more imitations or simulants will come about which is what makes this investment all the more valuable.

To be very clear, a pink diamond investment is not meant for anyone trying to look for an easy way into this market. In order to become a good collector or investor, you’ll need to go in person with a certified gemmologist to check out the pink-coloured stones with your own two hands. This way, your future pink diamond purchase will be inspected in front of you and you’ll know without a doubt, this is meant for you.

Of course, if you’re looking for an imitation pink diamond to wear, by all means, take the risk – it’s your time and your money; however, if this pink diamond is intended for a lifetime savings fund, then it is an absolute must to never skimp on any steps intended for acquiring only the best pink diamonds available!

Don’t leave without a Certificate of Authenticity:

Unless you’re an extremely experienced pink diamond investor, it might be helpful to take an experienced diamond broker or another experienced investor come along with you to make sure all bases are covered before the purchase.

In order to guarantee that your pink diamond will be top-of-the-line quality, you’ll need this certificate to verify the 4 C’s of the pink diamond and to also state whether it’s an enhanced pink diamond or a natural pink diamond.

It is extremely important to have the Certificate of Authenticity in hand before leaving because it’s a known practice for some unscrupulous people to alter the colour of coloured diamonds to show a more vivid or sparkling stone. It’s not that all people are dishonest but for the simple fact to try and keep up with the demands for coloured diamonds that outweigh the supply.

Don’t rush into buying pink diamonds:

Although there has been an influx of snatching up pink diamonds while they’re still available during the last couple of years, you can’t sell a pink diamond for its maximum profit if you don’t take the time and carefully look at all of the needed perspectives that will benefit you in the long run.

Remember, you’ll always get what you pay for! Rushing into anything isn’t usually a good thing to do but in this case, it can be more detrimental when shopping for that perfect pink diamond to invest your future into. Besides the fact that it will make you an easy target for fraudulent jewellers, you could possibly miss out on an even better deal if you’d had a little more patience.

Do opt for loose pink diamonds:

As mentioned in Part 2 of this series, it’s better to stay away from preset pink diamond jewellery. Unless the pink diamond you’ve bought is meant for wearing, keeping the diamond in loose form will allow it to continue appreciating over time. You will also severely limit the risk of any damage to the pink diamond during the setting stage of mounting it in a ring or pendant or similar. To spend all that money on something as beautiful and rare as a pink diamond… to have it damaged at such a crucial stage is disastrous!

Pink diamonds that have already been cut, shaped and/or placed into jewellery will extremely limit your investment market since you’re limiting buyers who might not like the pre-chosen settings.

Another reason why it’s smart to take this route is because these loose stones are graded heavily on their carat weight. If they are cut down to size to be mounted, that means that their carat weight has also been cut down making it worth much less than before as a loose pink diamond.

Your objective, when getting involved in a pink diamond investment, is to start big and finish bigger!

Do buy pink diamonds from a reputable or preferred location:

There are scams galore surrounding the diamond market especially since everyone wants a piece of that pink diamond pie. Before getting deeply vested into this rare diamond market, get to know the jeweller you will be working with.

Very similar to an interview, you’ll need to feel confident that your jeweller is open and honest when answering all of the questions asked. Developing this important relationship can make all the difference in taking your investment to the next level.

Because pink diamonds are so rare, very few jewellers have actually handled a single pink stone which means there will be a small amount of specialty jewellers to choose from. Once you’ve learned to understand the difference between a knowledgeable jeweller and a sales-pitchy jeweller, you’ll be able to locate the best pink diamond locations/auctions as well as having a fantastic jeweller by your side!

Do insure your pink diamond (s):

The largest reason pink diamond auctions and purchases are left discreet is to prevent theft from happening. Although it’s rare, it’s not impossible!

To make sure this doesn’t happen to you, choose a reputable and renowned insurance provider for this rare and expensive stone. In some countries theft is a direct result of information being leaked out from banks and insurance companies since they know exactly how much you have and where you have it! Go to a respected company and do business with the most senior, responsible person you can get to.

For less dramatic reasons than theft, insurance is also important for loss or damages. Depending on whether you have a homeowner’s insurance policy or not, insurance for pink diamonds can be added onto it.

In conclusion of this three-part series, the overall guideline is intended to show how investing in pink diamonds is a winning situation in every financial aspect – IF you know how to do it!

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Beginning Your Pink Diamond Investment – Part 2

Published on March 23, 2011 in Coloured Diamonds, Diamonds, Pink Diamond Investment and Pink Diamonds. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

‘It is planning not gambling that produces profit and security!’ – Marcus Aurelius (121-180) Meditations on Stoic Philosophy

When beginning a pink diamond investment, it can seem a little overwhelming at first. There is a lot of information that must be retained and put to use while, at the same time, also knowing what to be wary of.

Continuing on with the second part of this series, we’ll talk about the most important steps needed to start putting this fantastic pink diamond investment into action!

What Do I Need To Do?

Hopefully, by now, your research has been completed and you’ve found a personal broker/advisor that specialises in the pink diamond market. As you move on to the next phase, there are three major areas you may find a couple of ‘What’s’ you will need to ask yourself, those closest to you as well as people you’re doing business with.

Step 1 – Identify your financial goals:

The most important aspect of beginning in any investment is to do something most others will neglect to tell you – get a THOROUGH financial health check!

Without taking this crucial step, it’s easy to miss potential profits or look at multiple investment opportunities. Having a complete overview of your financial goals will also signal any red flags raised by future brokers or other investors you might be dealing with.

The trap that most people tend to fall into is not factoring in expenses they had no foresight to, such as, a medical emergency or purchasing a new car. Having your income plus all of your expenses in alignment will allow you to create the appropriate budget needed to include all unforseen aspects. This will help determine what quality of pink diamonds you’ll be able to afford.

Without your financial goals locked in, your pink diamond nest egg will sit exactly where it started – in dream land.

Step 2 – Assess your investment goals and desired output

When purchasing a pink diamond, it’s recommended to put your stock into a loose pink diamonds weighing at least .75 carats to maintain a steady investment. There is one exception to this when deciding whether carat weight or saturation is more important to your pink diamond portfolio.

If going by carat weight is more your style, obviously, the bigger – the better! For those who can afford a bigger amount of a money set within their budget, pink diamonds weighing 1-1.5 carats demand the highest amount of money in this niche which may be the wisest choice when selecting pink diamonds.

If, however, having a highly saturated pink diamond is the more ideal choice to build appreciation on, you can lower its carat weight down to between .25 – .80 carats. Remember that the smaller a pink diamond is, the higher the saturation is so in this case, bigger is not always better!

This isn’t to say that smaller, less saturated pink diamonds aren’t valuable because any investment grade  pink diamond you own will appreciate over time; rather, it’s just to emphasise the two most valuable types of pink diamond markets available.

After assessing your newly identified goals and desired outputs, it might be helpful to begin listing any and all future spending plans you are forecasting. This could include your children’s college funds, buying property, expanding your pink diamond investment – you get the idea!

Once these expenses are visible, then you’ll be able to see the complete picture with the forecasted cash outflows. This will also come in handy when setting out to build your investment strategy!

Step 3 – Create a Financial Investment Plan

Having your financial goals and desired output in tow, you must put an investment financial plan in place. By including all of your present and future resources that will be available, you can then determine whether your venture in pink diamonds is going to be a long-term or short-term investment.

This is extremely important because it makes the risk factor present itself. If your pink diamond investment plan is prepared for the short-term, a more aggressive approach is needed since the production and supply for pink diamonds have already begun decreasing.

Because this is considered to be a tangible asset, most people will opt to follow a long-term investment plan. This is due to the fact that the market for these rare pink diamonds continues to rise, minimally 15% as it has for the past 20 years, allowing your asset to continue appreciating its value.

All of this can sound a little confusing and get pretty complex for pink diamond novices – but that’s okay! That’s what investors are out there for – helping investees.

Now that you’re aware of how to begin proceeding with your new investment, it is now the time to take start taking action! The steps listed above are geared towards helping you with starting up your pink diamond investment but it’s ultimately up to you to take this investment of a lifetime as far as you’ve dreamed!



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Beginning Your Pink Diamond Investment – Part 1

Published on March 16, 2011 in Coloured Diamonds, Diamonds, Pink Diamond Investment and Pink Diamonds. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

It’s not just another investment idea like getting into real estate, buying and selling shares or even putting stock into gold, for that matter. Investing in pink diamonds is a lifetime investment and is taken extremely seriously with the utmost care and precaution. There is no comparison that comes close to investing in such precious gems, especially with pink diamonds!

While there are numerous blogs and articles on the internet dedicated to pointing out the perks of how beneficial investing in pink diamonds is, the majority leaves unanswered questions about the hard-to-find info, such as, the How’s, the What’s and more importantly – the What-Not-To-Do’s.

Fortunately, the information given in this three-part series will give you exactly what has been so difficult to discover about investing in pink diamonds!

How Do I Start?

Just like the beginning of any important life changing endeavor, start this one with some good homework by doing as much research as humanly possible. By making sure that you’re well educated and informed on EVERYTHING there is to know about pink diamonds, themselves, then you can begin to understand what exactly it is you’re investing in; what the current trends of the pink diamond market are; what the possible risks are and will be involved; what types of competition are out there; who your prospect buyers are, etc.

After fully understanding all of the important information surrounding pink diamonds and the different aspects of its investments, the next important step is to find someone reliable and trustworthy. By finding people within this field, such as an Investment Specialist, you’ll then have someone to ask all of your related questions to and school you on everything that’s needed to know how to make a great investment.

Don’t be impatient with rushing into a pink diamond investment or precipitate your returns. Pink diamonds are the rarest form of gems on this planet and getting into this market will take endurance.

Since not everyone can afford to buy them, this means that you’ll be dealing with the high-rollers. Those who are extremely wealthy will want to know you and want to get to you before anyone else does so it’s up to you to acquire an expertise level of pink diamond investments!

Just remember: The more you know, the more you’ll prosper!

After your ‘Pink Diamond Investment 101’ is completed, it is time to begin applying all that has been learned. A great place to start is by contacting a professional Diamonds Investment Advisor. Developing a relationship with this advisor will get you connected to the market place, keep you up-to-date with the latest pink diamond market and get insider information and deals for upcoming pink diamond auction events.

As with any new asset, there are doubts, concerns and those who will perhaps try to dissuade you from placing your investment into pink diamonds. Some will say that this particular type of investment is not as fantastic as others already in the business make it sound and compare it to a real estate investment or other similar ventures but here’s what they don’t know:

Going along with the real estate analogy, there are always going to be thousands of houses that may look better than yours but in this diamond market, there are ONLY 65 other 1 carat pink diamonds released per year, not to mention a price appreciation of 35% for pink diamonds within the past six months – so let them go and do the math!

Supply and demand can do wonders and with the supply of pink diamonds being so low, you will be in demand!

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Pink Diamonds – Coloured Levels Of Investments

Published on March 10, 2011 in Diamonds, Pink Diamond Investment and Pink Diamonds. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Found mostly in Australia, pink diamonds have become an increasingly popular investment on every level, from personal collectors all the way up to the corporate world. Since a single pink diamond is worth 20 times more than the average white diamond, the value of pink diamonds is taken very seriously and not left for the inexperienced jewellery investors.

To paint a clearer picture on a pink diamond’s worth, Josephine Acher, Business Manager at Argyle Pink Diamonds, was quoted as saying, “We release  50 [pink diamonds] a year and every year they have outperformed white diamonds price indexes.”

Out of the 25 million carats mined from the Argyle Mine in the year 2000, only 10,000 of these carats were pink diamonds and of those, a mere 10% weighed more than 0.2 grams (1 carat diamond)! Only increasing in its rarity, pink diamonds have become the top notch gem market to put serious investments into, outranking all other gemmological investments.

Currently, the only source to have discovered these exquisite pink fancy-coloured diamonds being the Argyle Mine, depletion of its resources are imminent. Because of this impending reduction of pink diamonds, only the top, most experienced jewellers and markets are able to hold auctions or shows displaying nature’s exceptional work of art.

While all white diamonds are priced according to a price list, a pink diamond’s worth is much more detailed. Much like the snowflake analogy, there are no two pink diamonds alike, making it the rarest and most sought after of all coloured diamonds. With imperfection, ironically, being the sole reason that diamonds change colours, it factors in as the biggest influence on how some pink diamonds are deemed more or less valuable than other pink diamonds.

Unlike other fancy-coloured diamonds that have been chemically tested to understand their colour scheme (i.e. blue diamonds are formed by boron, green diamonds are formed by radiation, and so on), the true cause of what forms a pink diamond has yet to be fully understood or discovered. What can be concluded on is its clarity by determining whether or not pink diamonds include one or more secondary colours.

The most common secondary colours to its pink hue are brown, purple and orange; all contributing to the placement within the fancy-scale ratings of pink diamonds. This gives these diamonds a large range beginning with the faintest of the pink tones through the most intense pink colouring. The more intense the pink colour is, the more its value increases.

To be able to establish a cost based on any one specific pink diamond’s natural make-up along with its carat size and shape, the information listed below is used to indicate the colour grading scale and combined to identify the true cost of pink diamonds:

Pink diamonds’ hue (in order of rarity):

  • PP – Purplish Pink
  • P – Pink
  • PR – Pink Rose
  • PC – Pink Champagne

Intensity of pink diamonds:

  • 1 – Very Intense (Appears nearly red to the naked eye)
  • 2 – Intense
  • 3 – Strong
  • 4 – Medium
  • 5 – Medium Light
  • 6 – Light
  • 7 – Very Light
  • 8 – Blush (Appears very similar to the white diamond to the naked eye)

By combining merging all of the indicated factors above, an average dollar amount can then be revealed, as shown below:

Average pricing for a 1 carat pink diamond:
Colour Intensity Low-End Price High-End Price
Vivid $350,000/ct $700,000/ct
Deep $300,000/ct $600,000/ct
Intense $230,000/ct $460,000/ct
Fancy $125,000/ct $250,000/ct
Light $35,000/ct $70,000/ct
Faint $12,000/ct $24,000/ct

One look at these figures reinforces the seriousness of the fact that pink diamond investments are not only a fashionable trend set by celebrities – it’s the fiscal benefit of a lifetime!  It’s an extremely important liquid asset whose procurement is intended for dedicated and well-informed investors and jewellers.

For people who are highly motivated to begin such an investment, there are three levels of shareholders:

  • Personal Investors
  • Corporate Investors
  • Self-Managed Super Funds

As for those who fall within these categories, we hope you will join our amazing Pink Diamond Investment Opportunity to begin or expand your pink diamond investment!

Since diamonds have an extensive history in the ballpark of approximately four billion years in the making, it’s obvious that the heritage that comes from within each diamond – coloured or not – is priceless.

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Amazing Pink Diamond Facts & Statistics

Published on February 23, 2011 in Diamonds, Pink Diamond Investment and Pink Diamonds. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

  • A 1 carat pink diamond weighs 0.2 grams which is equivalent to a single wood stick match.
  • The most exceptional and rare pink diamonds are sold by annual invitation-only tender. The tender represents the opportunity to bid on exceptional diamonds that are not publicly available.
  • Suitable pink diamonds for the tender are generally more than half a carat in size and will have been collected over a one year period leading up to the tender.
  • In Australia, the produced pink diamonds from Rio Tinto’s Argyle mine are so highly valued that the 40-60 best stones each year are put out to tender.
  • It takes 1 year to reach the target of 50 to 60 pink diamonds accumulated out of the 600 million stones produced by Argyle each year.
  • A half-carat pink diamond’s worth will fetch approximately around $100,000 or more, yet you can buy a fine white diamond for around $5000.
  • Because the high appreciation rate of a pink diamond of around 20% a year, it has to be assumed that the sky may well be the limit once the Argyle mine closes.
  • The Argyle Diamond Mine is located in a remote corner of North West Australia and it produces over 90 percent of the world supply in pink diamonds.
  • The natural coloured pink diamond market is very strong at the moment and prices have risen by 35% within the last six months.
  • The highest demand for pink diamonds is for the 1-1.5 carat stones.
  • A pink diamond’s premium in price demand depends on strong saturation of colour and a VS (higher clarity).
  • It is traditional that first-time owners of large pink diamonds decide on the name of the diamond, a title that will stay with the gem throughout history.
  • Given the results of significant pink diamond auctions and sales over the last decade, Harold Weinstein limited Gemmological Laboratory has estimated that a current value might range from CDN$8million to CDN$12 million.
  • The world’s largest pink diamond is the Darya-ye-Noor which is estimated to weigh between 175 and 195 carats.
  • The most famous pink diamond in the world that did not really exist was the fictitious Pink Panther Diamond.
  • It was reported that when Ben Affleck gave Jennifer Lopez that famous pink diamond engagement ring, websites around the world, experienced 300-400% increase in traffic.
  • The Steinmetz Pink Diamond, which weighs 59.60 carats, was found in South Africa and is the largest Fancy Vivid pink diamond in the world.
  • Natural pink diamonds are so rare that most jewellers have never seen one and will never own one.
  • Fancy pink diamonds were once available only to royalty.
  • An exceptional 1.06 carat oval pink diamond was one of the outstanding gems Argyle showed to prospective North American buyers at the first pink diamond tender in the U.S.
  • The pink diamond colour is believed to have been created through structural pressures exerted on carbon molecules during diamond formation up to three billion years ago.
  • There is only 1 large pink diamond out of the top 66 largest diamonds in the world.
  • Some significant pink diamonds were discovered from the Abaete in Brazil, notably, the 79 carat pink diamond of May, 1999.
  • Caked with 1225 dazzling pink diamonds set in platinum, this Nokia Supreme handset becomes the most expensive mobile phone in the world!
  • The Australian Aboriginal people believe that the Argyle mine was created when a group of women were fishing for a barramundi and it escaped the net. They also believe that the varying colours of Argyle’s diamonds are from the different parts of the barramundi – with pink diamonds’ colouring coming from its heart.
  • An Argyle pink diamond’s wealth is considered to be the most concentrated form of wealth found anywhere in the world.
  • Pink diamond colours range from Red to Pink, Purplish Pink, to Pink Rosé, Pink Champagne and Violet.
  • Every Argyle pink diamond’s clarity and colour is 100% natural!
  • Today, the Argyle diamond mine is currently transitioning from an open pit mine to an underground mine which estimates to extend the production of pink diamonds until at least 2019.
  • The discovery of pink diamonds was found buried 100 miles deep within the Earth’s surface.
  • An entire year’s worth of production of pink diamonds measuring over half a carat would fit in the palm of your hand and the larger rare violet diamonds would barely fill a teaspoon!
  • In 1526, the Rajah of Agra presented Babur, the first Moghul Emperor, with the light pink Agra diamond as a present for sparing his life when Babur’s son captured the city! This pink diamond adornment was worn in his turban for many years.
  • Pink graining is caused within a diamond is a natural deformation of the diamond crystal while it is in a semi-solid state.
  • Pink diamonds have only been found in a few mines across the world: The Rich Golconda River in India, Brazil and Tanzania – all produced notable pink diamonds in the 17th and 18th centuries.
  • The value of a pink diamond is worth 20 times more than its white diamond equivalent.
  • Type I diamonds are derived their colour from impurities embedded in the diamond, while the pink diamonds are classed as a Type II and they get their colour from a process believed to be known as Plastic Deformation.
  • Since formal records were first kept at the beginning of the 1980s, prices for pink diamonds have increased in value by an average of 20% per year, which is 300% better investment than a rental property in Australia, according to the Australian burial of statistics.
  • The market for natural coloured pink diamonds is very strong at the moment and prices have risen by 35% within the last six months. If that pace continues, an investment in a natural coloured pink diamonds today could double in value in the next 12-18 months.
  • It is estimated by 2018, a pink diamond of comparable quality could possibly sell for USD $750,000 plus!
  • In 2010, a pink diamond auctioned for nearly $2.3 million, marked the highest winning bid for a gem in Canadian history.
  • In 2009, a ring with a pink diamond the size of a chickpea sold for a record HK$83.5 million ($10.8 million) at a Hong Kong auction of art, gems and antiques that was fuelled by Chinese buying.
  • A rare pink diamond fetched 45.44 million Swiss francs ($45.75 million) in 2010, virtually doubling the previous record to become the most expensive stone ever sold at auction and underline the strength of the international jewellery market.
  • Damien Hirst’s diamond skull For The Love Of Goa, valued at £50million, is on show in Florence but his new and controversial, ‘baby’ version is cast in platinum and covered in 8,128 pavé-set perfect diamonds, 7,105 natural fancy pink diamonds and, on the fontanel, 1,023 white diamonds.
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