Orange Diamonds

Natural fancy orange diamonds are somewhat of an anomaly. Being the ultimate possession for diamond lovers, it is extremely rare to find a pure orange diamond. To be classified as a “fancy colour orange diamond”, there must be a complete absence of brown in the gemstone. Although the orange hue is not as rare in nature as some other hues, the GIA rarely grades an orange diamond as “pure” orange. As a result, orange stones that receive this grade are even rarer than the natural fancy red diamonds. However, why the market value of oranges is not as high as that of reds or blues even though the orange gemstones are rarer? From the position of the connoisseur, the only thing holding back the price of natural fancy orange diamonds is that orange is not a primary colour.

Cause of Colour

Colour in orange diamonds is likely caused by structural irregularities in combination with the presence of trace elements like nitrogen, though exact cause of colour is still being studied.

Secondary Colours

Orange is the colour between red (pink) and yellow so common secondary colours in orange diamonds include, pinkish orange, yellowish orange, and if the colour is darker and/or desaturated, brownish orange. 

Rarity

Pure orange diamonds devoid of secondary colours rare and rather expensive. It is more common to find orange diamonds with secondary hues.

Grading

Orange diamonds are graded as Faint Orange, Very Light Orange, Light Orange, Fancy Light Orange, Fancy Orange, Fancy Intense Orange, Fancy Dark Orange, Fancy Deep Orange, and Fancy Vivid Orange.

I. Formation

Due to the rarity of orange diamonds, the gemological knowledge about the jewels is limited. What is known is that most diamonds in the orange colour range are considered dark in tone and weak to moderate in saturation. As the colour orange is a mixture of the primary colours red and yellow, natural fancy orange diamonds range from brown-orange to yellow orange, with most stones having brown or brownish colour appearance to the naked eye.

VI. Popularity

Natural fancy orange diamonds are very appealing to celebrities. Famous actress Halle Berry wore a ring from high-profile jeweller, Harry Winston which adorned “The Pumpkin Diamond”, one of the largest natural fancy vivid orange diamonds in the world, to the 2002 Oscars where she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. This year, actress Kelly MacDonald, nominated for best supporting actress for her role in Boardwalk Empire, attended the 2011 Golden Globe Awards with a pair of sparkling earrings encrusted with two oval orange diamonds. Hollywood’s A-list actresses are definitely in love with orange gemstones, because we guess that those jewels make them feel as unique as those stones.