Facts about Pink Diamonds and their Formation

Pink diamonds, as the term suggests, are diamonds that are pink in color. These diamonds come in different shades ranging from intense purple-reds such as that of the Moussaieff Red to pastel rose such as that of the Pink Orchid. These diamonds have fetched up to $1,000,000 per carat. A pink diamond is a Type II diamond and it is unlike a Type I diamond, which derives its color from the impurities that are imbedded in the diamond. Type II diamonds hardly have nitrogen impurities and their coloration comes from structural anomalies resulting from Plastic Deformation while the crystals were growing. Other Type II diamonds are red diamonds and brown diamonds.

Only one out of the largest 66 diamonds in is pink. Although the diamonds are not large, their rarity makes them much sought after. The ring Ben Affleck gave to Jennifer Lopez as an engagement ring made the diamonds popular. The most famous pink diamond is the Pink Panther, which what ‘The Pink Panther’ show starring Peter Sellers is based on. The Darya-I-Nur is believed to be the largest pink diamond ever discovered at between 175 and 195 carats. The Steinmetz Pink, which is a vivid pink of 59.60 carats, is another of the popular pink diamonds.

These diamonds are formed under extremely high temperatures and pressure. This happens deep in the Earth’s crust, specifically at the base of old continents in cratons. It is believed that these diamonds are formed deeper than clear diamonds. A shift in the crystalline structure makes them reflect only some shades of red and to therefore have a pink color. The mantle beneath Earth’s crust works its way up as molten magma, sometimes erupting, and this is why these diamonds are found near the surface today. So, where are pink diamonds mined? Most of these diamonds come from the Argyle Diamond Mine in Western Australia’s East Kimberley region. This is the largest diamond mine in the world, but it comes second in terms of value since the diamonds are of a lower quality. Over 90% of the diamonds come from this mine. The mine also has such colored diamonds as champagne diamonds, cognac diamonds, and blue diamonds. The mine is currently transitioning into an underground mine from its current open pit mine.