Both scarce and popular, pink diamonds are extremely sought after and expensive. With the exception of a couple found in India, almost all of the world’s pink diamonds are now produced from one mine in Western Australia: the renowned Argyle Mine. This extreme rarity means that the gems discovered there are considered highly valuable. Have a look at some of the world’s most fascinating, expensive and large pink coloured diamonds!
The Star of the South
This beautiful diamond was cut into a cushion shape and is also known as Estrela do Sul, since it was found by a slave girl in a mine of the same name in Brazil in 1853. It weighs an impressive 128.48 carats (25.70 g) and is graded as a type IIa diamond, with a clarity of VS2 and a colour grading of light pinkish-brown. There is a white reflection of light from the diamond, whereas the refracted light has a definite rose tint which gives the stone a light pink and brown shade.
When the gem was discovered, it weighed a huge 254.5 carats (50.9 g). Since then the pink stone has been possessed by many different owners; the last known being Rustomjee Jamsetjee of Mumbai who purchased the diamond and then sold it to Cartier in 2002.
The Darya-ye Noor
This pink jewel is one of the largest diamonds ever discovered in the world, weighing at approximately 182 carats (36g) and since it is naturally pale pink in colour, it is an extremely rare discovery. The name of this pink diamond translates as ‘Sea of Light’, or ‘Ocean of Light’ from Persian. Similar to the famous Koh-i-Noor, this pink gem was mined at the Golconda mines in India and has been passed down through the Mughal emperors. Now featured as part of the Iranian Crown Jewels, the Darya-ye Noor is currently showcased at the Central Bank of Iran in Tehran.
Research teams in the last 50 years have conducted work on the Iranian Crown Jewels and found that it is highly probably that the Darya-ye-Noor was part of an even larger pink diamond which was embedded into Emperor Shah Jahan’s throne. Once divided into two, the smaller part is thought to be the Noor-ol-Ein diamond, at 60 carats (12 g); now an element of an Iranian Imperial Collection tiara.
The Pink Sunrise
This exquisite and more intensely pink-coloured diamond was made famous by the prestigious diamond cutter Gabi Tolkowsky but was only recently revealed to the public. The Pink Sunrise which probably gets its name from its pink sunlight appearance, is very rare, weighs 29.78-carats and was designed to be similar to the Centenary Diamond. The internally flawless stone was cut by Tolkowsky in either Belgium or Antwerp into a modified heart-shape but was kept from the public eye until the early 21st Century when it was unveiled.
Steinmetz Pink Diamond
Rated a fancy vivid pink diamond by the Gemological Institute of America, this diamond is not only stunning in hue but also impressive in weight, at 59.60 carats (11.92 g). With such credentials, the Steinmetz Pink is therefore the biggest diamond ever discovered to have been labelled a vivid pink – making it extremely unique.
The Steinmetz Group was responsible for cutting the bright pink stone into a mixed cut (step cut crown with brilliant cut pavilion), oval shape diamond and took over 20 months to do so. On 29th May 2003 the dazzling vivid pink rock was unveiled at a public ceremony in Monaco and it has also been displayed alongside several other famous coloured gems at the Smithsonian’s ‘The Splendour of Diamonds’ exhibit.
