Diamond Insights

Insights into the diamond and bespoke jewellery industries from Dhillon Prestige and around the world.

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Red diamonds are the rarest of all diamonds. There are less than 100 naturally vivid reds in the world today

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Where Do Diamonds Get There Colour?

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The Pink Star is the most expensive diamond in history and worth over $80 million dollars!

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The 5 Most Expensive Items Of Jewellery Ever Sold At Auction

5.  This Bulgari two-stone colored diamond and diamond ring sold for $15.7 million. It is set with a triangular-cut fancy vivid blue diamond, weighing 10.95 carats, and a triangular-cut diamond, weighing 9.87 carats, and dates from 1972. It was purchased by an Asian collector after a three-way bidding battle in 2010 at Christie’s New York

4. The Perfect Pink sold for  $23.2 million in 2010 at Christie’s in Hong Kong . It comprises a rare 14.23-carat, Fancy Intense Pink rectangular-cut diamond. It was purchased by an anonymous bidder for a staggering $23.2 million, making it the most expensive jewel ever sold at auction in Asia. The Perfect Pink is flanked on either side by rectangular-shaped D flawless diamonds weighing 1.73 carats and 1.67 carats respectively. All three diamonds are mounted on an 18k rose and white gold ring.

3.  The Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond sold for  a whopping $24.3 million  at Christie’s London in 2008. A historic cushion-cut fancy deep grayish blue diamond weighing 35.56 carats. Laurence Graff purchased the diamond in 2008 and had the diamond cut by three different diamond cutters to remove the flaws in 2010. The diamond originates from Indian kingdom of Golkonda. It’s rumored that King Philip IV of Spain purchased the jewel and included it in the dowry of his teenage daughter, Margaret Teresa, in 1664.

  2. The Graff Pink has been dubbed “one of the greatest diamonds ever discovered”, it comprises a rare 24.78-carat pink diamond mounted on a platinum ring set between two shield-shaped diamonds. It features amongst the top two percent of the world’s diamonds owing to it’s “Diamond type IIa” classification and was sold at Sotheby’s Geneva auction for a staggering $46.2 million in 2010 to diamond dealer Lawrence Graff, of Graff Diamonds, who named it Graff Pink. It formerly belonged to a private collector who purchased it from famous America jewellery Harry Winston. However, little is known of it’s origins.

1. The most expensive item of jewellery ever sold at auction is the Pink Star Diamond Ring, a soft plum-colored diamond that weighs in at 59.60 carats. The ring was purchased by Isaac Wolf, a well known New York diamond cutter who has renamed it the Pink Dream. It sold for a staggering 83.2 million dollars!  The buyer later defaulted on the payment and Sotheby’s reversed the commission revenue generated from the sale  and re-priced the pink diamond in its inventory at $72 million.

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An Insight Into Collecting Diamonds

Maybe you’re looking for an investment with big returns, or perhaps you’re trying to find the perfect engagement ring for a loved one and become intrigued, Diamonds have held many a person’s fascination for over a century. They appeal to collectors for many reasons due to their rarity and unique beauty as well as being hugely profitable. Coloured diamonds, for instance have appreciated by 11 to 15% per annum over the last ten years.

Diamonds are classed by use of the four c’s: Carat Weight, Colour, Clarity and Cut.

Clarity: Clarity refers to the amount of imperfections the diamond has. The fewer the imperfections, the more the diamond sparkles, therefore increasing its worth. Imperfections fall into two categories: Inclusions and blemishes:

Inclusions are flaws within the body of the stone. They occur naturally as a result of variations in the intense pressure applied to the stone's structure during diamond formation. Blemishes are imperfections that appear on the surface of the diamond. They can form as a result of the cutting process, general wear and tear or sometimes faults can occur naturally within the crystal structure during its creation.

Colour: Generally coloured diamonds are worth more than their colourless counterparts and are considered extremely valuable and rare. Pinks, Reds and Blues being most valued. The price of coloured diamonds is also variable based on how vivid the colouring of the stone is. For instance a fancy intense pink will generally be worth more than a fancy light pink of the same size.

The Cut: This refers to how a diamond is cut in order to show off its many different facets, taking into account the diamond's symmetry, proportion, and finish. This is known in the trade as the "make". A good cut will maximize a diamond’s natural sparkle by allowing the light to play off its different facets.

Carat weight: It is a common assumption that when describing a diamond, a Carat is a measure of size, but in actual fact it is a reference to its weight. The heavier the weight of the Diamond, generally determines how high the asking price is.

When looking at diamonds it is important you know exactly what you’re getting. It is down to you to do your research and go to a reputable dealer. Make sure any stone you buy comes with a certificate of authentication from a reputable grading body. Either the GIA or EGL.  If you’re unsure of anything when making a purchase, ask to see similar stones of a similar value. If its jewellery, then check the settings as genuine diamonds will never be in settings of poor quality.

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Discussing The Latest Trends In Jewellery 2014

For fashionistas everywhere, the latest trends in jewellery make for hot topics in 2014.  Experts claim that this is the year for coloured gemstones, with those in the know saying there has seen a renewed interest in traditional colored stones such as rubies, sapphires and emeralds which are a statement of creative expression and boldness. The rare gem market also continues to boom in countries such as India and China where there has been big increases in the demand for diamond engagement rings. 

Blue has been a huge colour amongst the fashion world in recent times and experts say that is likely to continue, suggesting people snap up styles in sapphire, topaz, tanzanite, and any other desirable variations. JCK also recommend looking at orange toned items as it color-blocks beautifully with the influx of blue and should be a go-to jewel color for retailers.

Looking more at the popular styles of today, a report by DNA India claims " Individualism and self-expression are the key words of today. Pieces that reflect surrealism, ludicrous fantasy and the imagination of alternative universes are in demand. " They also claim that less in more in today's market with minimalist designs being most popular. Stud earrings, bar or stick motifs, and other sleek, uncomplicated silhouettes are the order of the day.

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Blue diamonds are among the rarest diamonds on the planet. Their blue tint occurs when traces of boron are present during the diamond’s creation.

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How to invest In Coloured Diamonds

It doesn't matter whether you plan to invest a large or small amount of money, you should always do your research when investing in a market as complicated as diamonds. At first glance it can seem a risky investment as there is so much to take in for people with little knowledge of the Industry. There are so many wildly different prices and contrasting information out there that it can often be a bit of a minefield for the uninitiated. That’s before you even  take into account the four C’s; Clarity, Colour, Carat Weight and Cut. It’s not surprising that people can get a little confused. We recently wrote an entire blog on different certificates of grading for diamonds as people are often unaware that a similar or even identical diamond may be graded entirely differently depending or the authority grading it.

However, whilst it may be a little daunting to start, investing in diamonds is both an exciting and highly profitable thing to do. After all you are investing in something that can never be created in the exact same way again. Every diamond is totally unique and can date back millions of years. Right now coloured diamonds are what people are choosing to invest in as they are more scarce than their colourless counterparts and only one in every 10,000 diamonds mined, is coloured.  When looking at coloured diamonds, it is important to acknowledge that some colours are rarer than others. For instance brown, black and yellow diamonds, whilst being rare and beautiful stones in their own right, are nowhere near as rare or as valuable as blues or reds. With the Argyle mine in Australia due to close in 2020 pink diamonds from the Argyle mine are also considered an extremely rare commodity. Like with anything, however it’s all a matter of preference. Some people may like the look of a black diamond and to them it’s just as exquisite as any other colour.

From an investor’s point of view we would generally advise people to put their money in red, pink and blues diamonds as these are more valuable and will give better returns. Last year saw record sales of coloured diamonds and demand continues to grow, particularly in countries such India and China where coloured gems are highly sought after. Campaigns by companies such as Tiffany have proved to be a huge success in those countries. For investors looking to make big returns, coloured diamonds are a very wise investment and with mining providing less fruitful in recent years, diamonds are an increasingly rare commodity. If you would like to know more about how to invest in these fantastic gems then you can get in touch with us by email at [email protected] or for more information visit www.dhillonprestige.com and www.diamondinsights.co.uk

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Why Pink Is An Investor’s Favourite Colour

When it comes to fancy coloured diamonds, there is one that stands head and shoulders above the others for investors. The Pink argyle diamond, from the Argyle mine in Australia.  Of the approximately 20 million carats of rough diamonds produced annually, less than 0.1% are pink diamonds and even fewer are Argyle pinks. Pink Diamonds are revered for their unique provenance, beauty and extreme rarity. Last year a 60 Carat Pink diamond known as the “Pink Star” broke records at auction when it was sold for $83 million dollars, and although the buyer later defaulted on the payment it shows how far people are willing to go for these highly precious stones.  In the 1980’s, London Jeweller Graff purchased the entire Argyle Pink Diamond Tender collection. Graff designed a contemporary version of the 18th century Tremblant Flower using all the Tender stones.It was sold in 2 minutes, only hours after the piece was completed, to the Sultan of Brunei.

Over the last 20 years the value of Pink Diamonds has appreciated steadily and with the Argyle mine in Australia due to close in 2020, investors only have a limited time to purchase these wondrous stones whilst they are still freely available. Pink diamonds have proven to be an excellent investment over the last few decades and with demand remaining strong  it is highly likely that pink diamonds will remain a standout investment over the next few years.