The Guide For Buyers & Investors

Natural fancy purple diamonds with pure color are nearly as rare as natural pure fancy red diamonds. Unlike other prominent fancy colors, fancy purple diamonds are seldom found in sizes that exceed five carats. It is much more common for purple diamonds to weigh in on the smaller end, typically tipping the scales at no more than two carats, but generally much less. More often than not, purple diamonds are found paired with secondary color modifiers, underscoring the absolute rarity of pure purple diamonds and their related market value.

At Diamond Envy, our colored diamond knowledge can be credited to an extensive, hands-on approach. Experience with the rarest diamond colors gives us the best reference for evaluating the natural colored diamonds selected for our collection.  Our in house diamond graders assess each stone for cut, color and clarity and ensure we feature only the best conflict-free, natural colored diamonds.  Our variety of purple diamonds encompasses all shades of rich and vibrant color. To learn more about the lively colored diamonds, read below for information regarding purple diamond price, color and history.

Color

Fancy purple diamonds obtain their color by the same process that pink and red diamonds experience: post-growth plastic deformation, or mutation of the atomic lattice, that likely unfolded as the diamonds made their way from the depths of the earth to its exterior. However, the precise composition of the defects that give purple diamonds their distinct color is still not entirely clear. A distinguishing characteristic of natural purple diamonds is the pronounced presence of parallel deformation lamellae, or graining, where the purple coloration is concentrated. Therefore, the purple coloration may visibly vary in strength based on either a parallel or perpendicular orientation of the diamond when being viewed.

Intensity

Fancy purple diamonds are assessed according to intensity of color, or a combination of saturation and tone.  The following describe purple diamond intensities:

Light Purple, Fancy Light Purple, Fancy Purple, Fancy Intense Purple, Fancy Deep Purple, and Fancy Vivid Purple

The further along this spectrum you go, the richer and more intense the purple is to be seen in the diamond. The more intense a diamond’s color saturation, the more it will be worth. For example, a Fancy Intense Purple diamond will be worth more than a Fancy Purple diamond. That said, apart from very saturated pure purples, stones that are a split grade containing an equally, if not more, rare color, such as Fancy Red-Purple, are among the most desirable and valuable types of natural purple diamonds.

Secondary Color Modifiers

A colored diamond is generally rare when it exists as one color without any additional modifying colors. The only instances that color in fancy purple diamonds experience even greater rarity and value than if such diamonds were to have just its primary color of purple are when the primary purple color is combined with equally, if not more, rare colors such as red. A “fancy red purple” will therefore be even rarer and more valuable than a color diamond that has only purple in a comparable saturation.

Purple diamonds can be modified by pink, red, grey and brown. It is more common for purple to be found as a secondary color modifier, such as a diamond graded Fancy Purplish Pink, than for it to be the dominant color in a diamond that is modified by another color.

Tone

Tone refers to the lightness or darkness of a purple diamond, and the continuum in between. GIA grading does not make a distinction in tones, but to the eye a stone with darker tones may appear more intense in color. For someone looking for the appearance of a Fancy Intense Purple diamond without the price tag of one, a good option may be a Fancy Purple diamond with a darker tone.

Fluorescence

Natural purple diamonds do not have a marked tendency to exhibit fluorescence to UV light. On those occasions when they do show fluorescence, the resulting color is typically very weak to weak yellow. In the final analysis, the enhancement to a stone’s aesthetics that fluorescence offers is entirely subjective.

Clarity

Natural fancy purple diamonds tend to have inclusions and therefore generally fall in the SI1 to I2 range. Dark inclusions and clouds are not uncommon in purple diamonds, thus diminishing their clarity. Purple diamonds with clarity grades of VS2 or better are rarer.

Shape

Natural purple diamonds can be found in virtually all shapes, including pear, radiant, cushion, oval, marquise, heart, emerald and the classic round brilliant cut. In the case of purple diamonds, a round brilliant cut does not necessarily desaturate color as they usually have relatively darker tones than other natural colored diamonds. Take note of uneven color distributions as well (these will be noted on your GIA certificate), as they can certainly affect a diamond’s appearance and value.

Value

Natural fancy purple diamonds are exceedingly valuable and are arguably second only to natural red diamonds in value and rarity. The most expensive of all purple diamonds are those that are uniformly pure purple without any secondary color modifiers. However, as purple is arguably bested by red as most valuable and rarest colored diamond, one allowance can be made regarding secondary color modifiers: any purple diamond that is modified by red such as Fancy Red-Purple or Fancy Reddish Purple is highly valuable and on par with pure purple diamonds in terms of price per carat.

A colored diamond’s worth is determined first and foremost by its color. Purple diamond price is determined by intensity of color. As already rare and exclusive as natural purple diamonds are, the more intense the base color in a purple diamond, the more valuable it will be. Purple diamonds that achieve intensities of Fancy, Fancy Intense and Fancy Vivid will command the highest prices among natural purples and present great opportunity for colored diamond investment. Purple diamond price will of course increase as the size (or carat weight) also increases.

History

Fancy purple diamonds are mined in Siberia (Russia), Australia, and more recently, Quebec, Canada. The output from Siberia mostly yields pale purple diamonds, but diamonds with greater saturation are unearthed on occasion. To illustrate the true scarcity of natural purple diamonds, in the Siberian mines, such diamonds generally make up only 1 percent of the overall diamond yield.

Famous Purple Diamonds

The Royal Purple Heart: the largest Fancy Vivid Purple diamond currently known to exist, this perfectly heart-shape weighs 7.34 carats and has received a clarity grade of I1. The Julius Klein Group cut the Fancy Vivid Purple diamond, which is believed to have Russian provenance.

Supreme Purple Diamond Heart: although a notable purple diamond, details surrounding this stone remain shrouded in obscurity. Its name is a misnomer as the diamond is actually a round brilliant cut, not a heart shape. Its color and clarity grades, as well as its exact weight, are unknown. The diamond is believed to fall in the two to five carat range. The Supreme Purple Diamond Heart is said to change color depending on the angle from which it is viewed. It can appear either deep purple or deep red.

At Diamond Envy, we offer an impressive selection of rare natural fancy purple diamonds. Whether you’re interested in a loose diamond as an investment opportunity or custom jewelry to give as an incredible gift for someone special, shop our purple diamond collection today.