Fancy coloured diamonds are fast overtaking the colourless white gems as a safe long term investment option.
The Fancy Colour Research Foundation (FCRF) latest research shows that fancy colour diamonds have outperformed white diamonds prices.
Natural fancy diamonds come in many different colours including the rare blue, orange, pink, red, and greens are achieving higher prices on the international market.
The FCRF has seen striking changes in the value of fancy coloured diamonds over the past. The data revealed patterns between investment and world economies.
Recently an 8.41 carat vivid purple pink diamond was sold for a record $17.10 million, and a 14.82 carat orange diamond sold for a world record $35.5 million.
Rapaport has announced that will be opening its melee auction in the Hong Kong International Diamond show, the auction consists of premium quality diamond parcels in all shapes.
Limited spaces are available and viewing is by appointment only. Rapaport will auction the record 98,000 carats of diamonds.
Director of Global Trading, Ezi Rapaport, said "all eyes are on the Hong Kong show as it will play a determining role for the trend in Quarter two”.
Causes of colour in heat treated brown diamonds and synthetic brown diamonds are similar to treated pink diamonds.
In natural diamond the colour is related to a lattice imperfection. This can be mimicked in synthetic or treated diamond by a variety of treatments including annealing, heating or irradiating. The heat and pressure or irradiation can result in the lattice deviation resulting in the brown or pink colour.
Synthetic brown diamond is created by compressing graphite under extreme pressure and heat to above 1500 Celsius. The treatments were perfected in several laboratories in Russia, United States and China.
Lazare Kaplan Internationals Belgium subsidiary Pegasus Overseas Ltd marketed the General Electric processed diamonds under the name GE POL or in the USA as Bellataire.
This led to a technique for creating, or treating brown diamonds into higher valued colours like yellow or colourless diamond.
The disclosure of the treatment is noted by the “GEPOL" inscribed on the girdles of every treated diamond.
Brown diamonds are often marketed with expensive sounding names like Cognac, Champagne or Chocolate diamonds. Natural brown diamonds are a cheap alternative to more expensive colours.
The flooding of synthetic diamonds in the industry is threatening long term sustainability of Rough and Polished.
Bruce Cleaver Head of Strategy and Corporate Affairs said “duds” were threatening profitability. And the impact of synthetic diamonds is more severe when manufactures don’t disclose Synthetics to the market.
APA estimates total market value of synthetic diamonds at $9 billion.
The Surat Diamond Association detected synthetic diamonds in a parcel belonging to two diamond traders in Varachha the world’s largest diamond cutting and polishing centre.
The parcel was sold by Ramesh Mavani a diamond merchant, who had purchased it from one Chandu Sheta.
The Natural Diamond Monitoring Committee is dealing with the investigation.
A committee was set up in 2013 after a huge quantity of synthetic diamonds was found mixed in with natural diamond parcels in Mumbai.
De Beers Group to invest around $3bn over ten years on diamond mining operations in its key South African mine Venetia.
De Beers reported operating profit of $1.4bn USD up 36% year on year, due to higher demand and increased production.
Diamond production was up 5% to 32.6m carats, largely to the production of Debswana the Botswana mine.
Anglo American owns 85% of De Beers
A rare Emerald shape 100.20 ct diamond, originally mined in South Africa by De Beers will showcase the Sotheby’s Auction.
The diamond is one of only six of equal quality ever to be sold at auction, and could sell for $25 million.
The size, quality of the cut and colour make this gem extremely rare because the stone is type IIa stone D colour, internally flawless.
Original polished out of rough weighing over 200 cts.
Fancy Coloured diamonds popularity and price has risen globally, partly driven by Asian investors.
Fancy Orange, Pink, Yellow, and Blue diamonds have appreciated over 150 % according to the Fancy Colour Research Foundation.
Hong Kong and China represent 40% of sales of the fancy coloured diamond sales; this demand of the extremely rare colours is pushing up its prices.
In Recent months Auction houses have sold some of the most valuable natural colour diamonds setting new records for Fancy Orange, Pinks and Blues.
Armed robbers forced customers and staff to the floor, and then ordered one worker to open the jewellery cases.
The robbers made off with an unknown number of diamonds from the Tiffany & Co. store in San Francisco.
Sgt. Monica McDonald said authorities were viewing footage from surveillance cameras in the Westfield San Francisco Centre area, but remains baffled how the robbers pulled off the heist undetected.
No one was hurt during the robbery.
Diamond industry leaders, the (SDA) and the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) will begin an awareness campaign in the diamond industry. They will focus on the various types of synthetic diamonds, and the identification and disclosure.
Detailed information on the various forms of synthetic diamonds including High Pressure High Temperature and Chemical Vapor Deposition will be provided.
Dealers, Jewellers and valuers in the industry are not able to differentiate between natural and synthetic diamonds. Leading to Lab grown diamonds being mixed in parcels with natural diamonds.
This has made it necessary to educate manufacturers and dealers, and bring awareness to the entire trade.
Natural diamonds will have the term Natural diamond on the certificate, or have a natural diamond report.
