Fancy colored diamonds have become highly sought after investments as demand has increased while supply has dwindled. Colored diamonds receive their hues from natural impurities like nitrogen or boron, and are extremely rare - vivid blue diamonds make up less than 0.3% of all colored diamonds. Leviev recently unveiled a collection of 13 natural red diamonds between 0.46 to 1.16 carats, an unprecedented number of red diamonds given their characteristically small sizes. Colored diamonds are seen as attractive investments due to their rarity, potential for appreciation, and tangible yet portable asset nature.

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In recent years, fine fancy colored diamonds have made headlines
around the world as the demand and prices soar for these natural rarities.
However, as the clamor for diamonds of intense and vivid color continues
to grow, the supply has begun to dwindle. Long considered solely an object
of beauty and curiosity, colored diamonds are now emerging as a long-term
investment – an investment that is private, tangible and easily portable.
Diamonds of exquisite color and clarity are an extremely rare occurrence
in nature. For every intense yellow diamond, there are some 10,000 near-
colorless ones. Hues such as vivid blues, however, are far more rare.
Studies have shown that approximately less than .3 percent of all colored
diamonds are blue, and less than one percent of all blue diamonds are vivid
blue. The vivid blue diamond ring by Leviev, featured at the bottom left,
boasts a radiant-cut Fancy Vivid Blue Internally Flawless diamond weighing
2.08 carats, and is further highlighted by eight pear-shaped D Internally
Flawless diamonds totaling 9.01 carats.
Fancy colored diamonds result from a natural course of geographical
formation allowing for each colored diamond to be uniquely exceptional.
Colored diamonds take on their hues when an impurity is present in the
gem. The presence of nitrogen, for example, gives rise to a yellow color,
whereas the presence of boron creates a blue hue. Radiation and pressure
on a stone will also lend to the formation of a specific colored diamond.
Green diamonds are an example of this process, as illustrated by the 2.11
carat Fancy Intense Green diamond shown at top left. To this day it is still
unclear what gives a red diamond its hue, they are the most rare of all
colored diamonds, but it is thought to be due to a structural anomaly
within the stone.
Leviev, whose showcases boast an extraordinary assortment of fancy
colored diamonds in a kaleidoscopic array of red, blue, green, pink, orange
and yellow hues, recently unveiled its collection of thirteen natural red
diamonds ranging from 0.46 to 1.16 carats. Despite the smaller size of the
stones – characteristically red diamonds are small in carat weight –
it is simply unheard of to have a collection of this volume.
“Our clients come to us looking for unique and rare diamonds; something
that will retain its beauty and appreciate in value,” says Lisa Klein, Executive
Vice-president of Leviev Diamonds. “When our first boutique opened in
2006, a 5 carat pink diamond would have been valued at approximately 5
million dollars. Today, that same diamond would be valued at over 10 million
dollars. The purchase of a rare colored diamond is an incredible asset to
any discerning portfolio.”
In today’s economy, there is no question that both consumers and
investors alike are disenchanted with traditional assets. What is certain,
however, is that the demand and value of diamonds of exceptional color
and clarity is vastly increasing, while the supply of these one-of-a-kind
gems is diminishing. Such an investment is not only beautiful,
but one that is sound. –TPJ
For more information on Leviev, visit www.leviev.com
Colored from nature’s palette
DiamondsDiamonds
APRIL 2011