How Much Is a Pink Diamond Worth?

As more people turn to colored stones, consumers want more pink diamonds. In nature, pink diamonds are rare, making them among the priciest of colored diamonds. They are beloved royals and celebrities because they can afford them. 

Pink diamonds often cost thousands of dollars per carat, making them prohibitively expensive for the average consumer. Luckily, pink diamonds can be grown in labs so that consumers can afford the colorful stones. 

All About Pink Diamonds

Most pink diamonds come from the Argyle Mine in Australia. In volcanic pipes, chunks of carbon get heated and pressurized into a diamond. These diamonds are 100% carbon, just like white diamonds. The fact that they don’t have other trace elements is highly unusual for colored diamonds. 

The pink color comes from additional heat, pressure, and time. The extra time and force create grains in the diamond crystals. These tightly compressed grains let pink light shine through the diamonds. 

Researchers are still trying to understand exactly how diamonds turn pink, but they know why other colors occur. For example, red diamonds have a unique carbon atomic structure with slight deformation. Green diamonds have had radiation exposure. Additionally, yellow diamonds have some nitrogen within the carbon structure. 

Some researchers have found that colored diamonds come from plastic deformation, a geological process that dislocates and deforms materials thanks to tensile stress. The results permanently rearrange the atoms, thus changing the way diamonds absorb and reflect light. 

Why Buy Pink Diamonds?

The top reason to buy pink diamonds is that you like their appearance. Here are some of the other common reasons people buy pink diamonds. 

Pink Diamonds Are Rare and Scarce

Financially, a reason to buy pink diamonds is because of their rarity. Only .001 percent of diamonds mined each year are fancy colored diamonds that graders rate as Intense and Vivid. High-quality pink diamonds only come from a few diamond mines, making them scarce. 

Most pink stones have come from Australia, while the others come from mines in:

• Russia
• Brazil 
• India 
• Canada
• South Africa

Pink Diamonds Are Admired and Valuable

Consumers might have challenges finding pink diamonds for sale at a jewelry store. Instead, a source for pink diamonds is at public auction houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s. 

Because of the high prices, they have become popular with celebrities. Colored diamonds as a whole are linked to wealth and luxury. 

Pink Diamonds Are Extremely Durable Diamonds

Like all diamonds, pink diamonds have a perfect ten score on the Mohs hardness scale. Because of the hardness rating, pink diamonds are scratch-resistant. They are excellent gemstones for rings that you can wear daily. 

The hardness and durability have made diamonds top gemstones for heirloom quality jewelry to pass through the generations. 

Pink Diamond Engagement Rings Growing in Popularity

The classic white diamond is still the top choice for engagement rings, but colored stones have grown in popularity. Pink diamonds are stunningly classic and feminine. With their hardness rating, you can wear them daily without worry. 

Fancy Cuts Enhance Pink Diamonds

Fancy cuts with several facets enhance hue and saturation in fancy pink diamonds. The top styles include:

• Cushion 
• Heart
• Radiant 
• Marquise

These cuts look beautiful when set in white gold or platinum metals. The facets let the pink light reflect with extra fire, making them sparkle brilliantly. 

Pink Diamonds Have a Broad Range of Hues

Pink diamonds can have subtle secondary hues in them. Those hues include brown and brownish-purpose, gray, orange, and purple. 

The most valuable combination is purplish-pink or orange-pink. If pink diamonds have a secondary color, the value of the diamond increases based on the rarity of the secondary color. 

The GIA scale for colored diamonds includes nine grades. The most valuable diamonds are the ones with intense, saturated hues. The scale includes:

• Faint 
• Very Light
• Light
• Fancy Light 
• Fancy
• Fancy Dark
• Fancy Deep 
• Fancy Intense
• Fancy Vivid
  

Pink diamonds that are fancy or higher have a higher cost than faint or light diamonds.

Pink Diamonds Can Be Enhanced

Gemologists have a few techniques that enhance the saturation of the stone. The enhancement techniques slightly alter the diamond to diminish flaws and improve appearance. Jewelers who sell enhanced diamonds must tell their consumers. 

Diamond enhancement treatments include color enhancement through irradiation. This process does occur in nature, but some diamonds need artificial irradiation to improve their color. 

Laser drilling enhances the clarity by removing black carbon inclusions. There is also fracture filling, which fills internal cracks to improve the brilliance and fire. Most enhanced diamonds have lower prices than natural diamonds without treatments. 

How Much Is a Pink Diamond Worth?

The least expensive diamonds cost about $10,000 per carat. These pink diamonds tend to have light hues, while the intensely colored diamonds without flaws or enhancements can be over $700,000 price per carat. 

How Are Pink Diamond Prices Determined?

Diamond prices are always based on the four C’s: 

• Cut 
• Color 
• Clarity
• Carat 

Large pink diamonds have higher prices than small ones. Clarity does not affect the price as heavily, as pink diamonds are not transparent. 

Other than carat size, color has a significant factor in the value. Before buying a pink diamond, it is wise to have an experienced gemologist rate the color intensity on the GIA scale. 

Are Pink Diamonds Worth Investing In?

If you can afford pink diamonds, they are considered a low-risk investment. For years, they have steadily increased in value, giving them a positive return on investment. 

The challenge with investing in pink diamonds is finding them. Over the last decade, pink diamonds have increased over 110%. Blue diamonds and yellow diamonds increased by 81% and 21%, respectively. 

Since the Argyle Diamond Mine in Australia closed in 2020, pink diamonds will continue to increase in value.

Affordable Pink Diamond Alternatives

Synthetic pink diamonds offer an affordable alternative to natural pink diamonds. Synthetic diamonds are still real diamonds made of carbon. They are also called:

• Artificial
• Lab-created 
• Lab-grown
• Cultured diamonds 

Labs create diamonds in two ways. First, they copy the high-pressure and temperature found in the volcano tubes. The second method includes forming a low-pressure system that replicates outer space. The high-pressure process is called HPHT, while the external space method is called CVD.

Synthetic diamonds are less expensive than natural diamonds, usually about 5% of the price. They are graded the same way as their natural counterparts: by carat, clarity, cut, and color. Retailers must inform buyers that they are artificial diamonds rather than natural gemstones. 

Other affordable options include diamond alternatives like pink sapphires and morganite. These are significantly less expensive than diamonds. Pink sapphires have the same color intensity as pink diamonds, while morganite often has a lighter hue in a peach tone. 

Famous Pink Diamonds You Should Know

People who appreciate gemstones should know about the famous pink diamonds. These are some of the rarest diamonds on the planet. 

Daria-i-Noor

This pink diamond has a table-cut and weighs 186 carats. It has belonged to several kings and now is in Iran. 

Noor-ul-Ain

This diamond came from the Golconda mine in India. It weighs 60 carats and is oval cut. Diamond makers last used it in the wedding tiara belonging to the Empress Farah Pahlavi of Iran. 

The Steinmetz Pink

This fancy vivid, oval-cut diamond came from Southern Africa. It weighs 59.6 carats and has a grading of Internally Flawless. It is one of the rarest pink diamonds in the world. 

The Rose of Dubai

This pear-shaped, 25.02 carat, fancy pink diamond last sold for $6 million. 

Graff Pink Diamond

This 24.78 carat stone sold for $46 million at Sotheby’s, making it the most expensive diamond ever sold at an auction. 

Pink Diamonds Buying Guide

Before investing in a pink diamond, evaluate the diamond and the sellers. Retailers should provide a certificate of authenticity for all semi-precious and precious stones, like pink diamonds. Buyers shouldn’t have to ask for one. 

Retailers should also clearly state their after-sales return policy. Jewelers who stand behind their jewelry will offer a return policy, usually with a time limit. 

If you are buying your pink diamond from an online retailer, take time to read customer feedback and post-sales reviews. Customers making purchases from a local jeweler can also read feedback, and they can choose jewelers who have been in business for many years - proving their respectable business practices. 

Online retailers should share unique images of each stone. The images should have high resolution so customers can see the color, cut, and clarity. Be wary of any sellers using stock images of stones.

Finally, buyers should only choose pink diamonds from a well-established, trusted, reputable vendor.