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A decade or two back, many bona fide jewelry collectors didn’t fully understand that natural diamonds were produced in a jaw dropping palette of tints. The few people that were on to them expected these colorful jewels to be man-made like so many ‘unbelievable’ stones on the market.
Actually earth mined natural fancy color orange diamonds are a rarity. But they do exist. The few that have come to market have elicited a global frenzy – either to bid on them, or for the privilege of gazing upon them. The treatment of natural diamonds can transform them into bold colors. Diamonds can be induced into exhibiting an orange shade by exposing them to specific radiation or heat. Of course lab-grown stones are now being manufactured in vivid hues these days.
The Orange Standard
In 2013 Christie’s auction house sold the world’s largest fancy vivid orange diamond ever produced – to date.
It is simply named The Orange. At 14.82 carats, the pear shaped stone had notes added to its GIA grading report, ‘According to the records of the GIA Laboratory (this diamond) is the largest Fancy Vivid Orange, Natural Colour, diamond graded as of the date of the report issued.’
Its selling price in 2013 was CHF (Swiss francs) 32,645,000 or nearly CHF 35,000,000 by today’s value. That factors to be $44,170,000 in today’s US dollars. And it’s still the highest achieved valuation for a fancy vivid orange. That price wowed diamond connoisseurs worldwide. But honestly, when there are next-to-none in existence, the price boils down to who is bidding that day and at what point will they bow out.
We know that diamonds have the simplest chemical make up of any gem mineral. A diamond is simply pure carbon. The bonus is, when impurities (meaning parts per million) are caught in this simple chemical makeup, colors can result. The greater the impurities, the denser the color concentration results. Nitrogen is said to cause the orange color in diamonds.
Jewelry lovers find orange diamonds exciting, and it’s not simply because we recognize them as nearly priceless. The color orange appeals to many collectors who marvel at the fact that nature produces a sherbet hued stone without any intervention.
But there are only a handful of collectors or investors who could ever purchase these scarcities.
Fortunately, the orange aficionado can still get her orange fix with other gorgeous gemstones. They are naturally occurring too, which is a big plus.
What’s so Great About These?
Orange Sapphire
Jewelry connoisseurs love to discover the myriad fancy color sapphires that pop up. Orange is one of the more delightful fancy colors of this corundum variety. It’s also important to note that all sapphire is exceedingly hard – only a diamond is harder than this species. This hue occurs naturally as a fancy color of sapphire and can also be nudged by heating natural sapphire. Either way, the outcome is a hypnotic hue that draws many devotees.
Orange Spinel
With an impressive Mohs 8 ranking on the hardness scale, jewelry lovers can enjoy wearing spinel jewelry regularly. Orange spinel is one of the many celebrated colors found in this ancient gemstone. Yes, it comes straight from the ground bearing its golden tint. You have countless orange shades to choose from with this stone – one will surely speak to you!
Orange Zircon
This stone is a trifecta in the gem world. Its incandescent orange tint is only surpassed by its doubly refractive nature. Its high refractive index means that the stone displays appealing brilliance and luster. But collectors quickly learn that the stone is also doubly refractive, a property that doubles its sparkle factor.
Spessartite Garnet
This charmer in the gemstone world is adored for its naturally occurring Creamsicle orange hue. The almost transparent jewel has been called Mandarin garnet in some circles. Whatever you call it, make sure to check out this elegant jewel. It acquired its distinctive name from being first discovered in Germany’s Spessart Mountains.
New Acquaintances
Your customer may not have a fancy color orange diamond budget. But that should not stop her from collecting the color she’s fallen in love with.
Color theorists sometimes mark the orange gemstone lover as creative, upbeat and adept at innovation. If your customer demands something out of the ordinary – and as a complement to their personality, these orange stones sound like a perfect fit. Don’t assume they already know about these jewels either. Introduce them to these lovely gemstones and you’ve ramped up their loyalty to your business too.
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