A red diamond is a diamond which displays red color and exhibits the same mineral properties as colorless diamonds.
Red diamonds are commonly known as the most expensive and the rarest diamond color in the world, even more so than pink diamonds or blue diamonds, with very few red diamonds having been found.
Just like pink diamonds, they are greatly debated as to the source of their color, but the gemological community most commonly attributes both colors to gliding atoms in the diamond’s structure as it undergoes enormous pressure during its formation.
Red diamonds are among the 12 colors of fancy color diamonds and have the most expensive price per carat. They will typically run in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per carat range.
Since they are the rarest color, it is difficult to find them in large sizes, and they are mostly found in sizes less than 1 carat.
Red diamonds only exist with one color intensity: fancy. Although their clarity can range from Flawless to Included, just like white diamonds.
The largest and most flawless red diamond is the 5.11 carat Fancy Red Moussaieff Red Diamond, which has internally flawless clarity.
Since red diamonds are classified as diamonds in every sense, they are also graded by the typical four Cs of Connoisseurship: color, clarity, cut and carat weight.
The next most important attribute is the diamond’s carat weight, followed by its clarity, and cut.
Given their rarity, red diamonds are among the most expensive gemstones on average. Red diamonds can cost at least US$1 million per carat, and most of the known specimens are less than half a carat.
Like with all fancy color diamonds, the color attribute is considered the absolute most important characteristic of the diamond and is largely what determines its value.
The color in red diamonds is assessed according to its hue and saturation. Red diamonds can occur with secondary colors, such as brown-red, orange-red, or purple-red, but red is not a modifying color for any other diamond color.
Additionally, red diamonds never appear with a tertiary modifying color, as is the case in other diamond colors. A pure red diamond is ideal but an even rarer find than a red with a secondary color.
Like with other diamond colors, a purely red diamond will fetch a higher per carat price than one with a secondary hue.
Brownish red and Orangey red diamonds are generally considered inferior to Purplish Red diamonds and are priced accordingly.
All of these colors run upwards of $400,000 per carat, but a pure red diamond can cost significantly more per carat.
Few colors of fancy color diamonds are characterized by having a singular color intensity. This phenomenon only exists with three colors: black diamonds, white diamonds, and red diamonds.
Since the source of the red in red diamonds is considered to be a hyper-concentrated occurrence of pink, this would actually make red the darkest shade of pink possible, which is why it is only able to appear in one intensity.
Red diamonds will only be graded Fancy Red, Fancy Brownish Red, Fancy Purplish Red, or Fancy Orangey Red.
An easy way to tell whether a red diamond is fake is if the seller is offering it with an intensity grade like other diamond colors (Fancy Light, Fancy Intense, Fancy Vivid, etc.). There are so few red diamonds that the GIA records show that over a 30-year period from 1957–to 1987, not a single GIA lab report with the term “red” was issued.
Some diamond polishers have achieved a GIA grading of Fancy Red for a diamond by re-polishing a Fancy Deep Pink diamond, although this is very hard to accomplish and has only been successfully completed less than a handful of times.
In order to determine the clarity of a diamond, it is examined under a loupe, which is a magnification device that enlarges the visual field 10X.
Diamonds are inspected to determine whether there are inclusions on the outside or on the inside.
Red diamond clarity is measured like all diamonds on the scale from Flawless to Included. Most red diamonds fall within the range of VS1 – SI2 due to the nature of how they were formed.
However, the largest and most famous red diamond, the Moussaieff Red, was graded with an Internally Flawless clarity. A red diamond’s clarity has little effect on its value because of the rarity of the color.
A red diamond buyer will be far more interested in the purity of the red and the carat size in order to decide on its desirability.
This is not true for all diamond colors, but it is especially so for the colors that are highest in demand, namely red, pink and blue.
For the less expensive colors, such as yellow and brown, clarity will be more of a factor.
Red diamonds are known for their small sizes. The majority of red diamonds on the market are less than 1 carat in weight.
Only 5 red diamonds are known to exceed 5 carats in weight, the largest being 5.11 carats. Only a handful of red diamonds are discovered on an annual basis throughout the world, and most of them do not exceed 1 carat.
Red diamonds are priced per carat, as all diamonds, and their per carat price is 300–400% higher than the per carat prices of the next most expensive diamonds, pink diamonds, and blue diamonds.
Most red diamonds display fluorescence when placed under UV light. In the case of colorless diamonds, the presence of fluorescence is generally considered lowering a diamond’s value.
This is in fact completely arbitrary, as the blue glow may or may not appeal to a buyer, but it certainly has no bearing on the composition, durability or beauty of a diamond.
However, it is a generally accepted notion in the diamond assessment world that the presence of fluorescence will lower a diamond’s value.
Just like with clarity, in the case of fancy color diamonds, this is not a detracting characteristic if it is present.
If anything, its presence ensures the buyer that the diamond is genuine, as fluorescence is not recreated in lab-grown diamonds.
If a red diamond has fluorescence, it will not add or detract from its value or resale value in any way.
If you are interested in getting your hands on a red diamond, or any diamond for that matter, Shira Diamonds sell quality loose red diamonds for sale.
We also offer other colored diamonds as well as custom diamond rings for everyone.
Give us a call today! We offer virtual consultation.
214-466-1776
