Prettier in Pink: Complete guide to buying pink diamonds

Pink diamonds were first discovered in India during the early 17th century, in the Kollur mine within the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, which was part of the legendary Golconda kingdom. The famed Daria-i-Noor (“Sea of Light”), a pale pink diamond weighing about 186 carats, is one of the largest and most celebrated gems from this period.

In the 20th century, Australia became the leading source of pink diamonds with the discovery of the Argyle mine in 1983, which produced over 90 percent of the world’s supply of natural pink diamonds. When the Argyle mine closed in 2020, global supply dropped dramatically, increasing scarcity and prices. Today, collectors turn to major auctions for the rare opportunity to acquire these coveted gems.

In December 2025, a 3.27-carat Fancy Vivid Orangy Pink diamond ring sold for $920,750, highlighting the strong demand for vividly colored pink diamonds despite their modest size. Graded Fancy Vivid Orangy Pink, Natural Color, with VVS1 clarity by GIA, the cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant demonstrates how saturation and rarity can outweigh carat weight as drivers of value in today’s market.

Unlike other colored diamonds, pink diamonds owe their color not to trace elements but to structural distortion within the crystal lattice caused by immense geological pressure and heat. This displacement alters how light is absorbed and reflected, creating the captivating pink hue. This phenomenon has produced some of the world’s most desirable gems, from the historic Daria-i-Noor to modern masterpieces such as The Desert Rose Diamond—a 31.68-carat Fancy Vivid Orangy Pink diamond showcased by Sotheby’s at its Beyond the World’s Rarest Diamonds exhibition in Abu Dhabi in April 2025.

Pink diamonds often come with a secondary hue including: Purplish Pink (most popular), Brownish Pink, Orangish Pink, Reddish Pink, Grayish Pink and Yellowish Pink (very rare).

Pink diamonds are also graded on a clarity scale similar to white diamonds from Flawless to Included. Cut grading is also similar to white diamonds including the proportions, symmetry and polish. The most popular fancy shapes for pink diamonds include cushion, radiant, oval, and pear, as these enhance the color and minimize waste during cutting. Carat weight is also the same as white diamonds. Sotheby’s recommends only buying pink diamonds with GIA certifications. Pink diamonds weighing more than 1 carat are very rare since only about 0.01% of all diamonds that are mined are naturally pink.

Sotheby’s sold an emerald cut fancy intense purplish pink diamond 7.00 carats, natural color and internally flawless for $4.3 million in December. Emerald cut pink diamonds are rare since there is less waste when cutting a diamond into a pear, radiant or cushion cut. Pink diamonds with Fancy Intense rating are also highly desired by collectors since the colour is more saturated and deeper and more obvious pink hue.

Sotheby’s sold a Fancy Orangy Pink Diamond for 2.8 million CHF ($3.2 million). The 12.52 carat emerald cut pink diamond sold for 4x the high estimate of 800,000 CHF. The GIA certificate states the pink diamond ring is Fancy Orangy Pink, Natural Color, VVS2 Clarity.

Most pink diamonds are pear, radiant or cushion cut since it results in less waste during cutting. Few pink diamonds of this size are emerald cut since step cut diamonds require very high clarity to result in a beautiful finished diamond. This impressive pink diamond ring attracted seven bidders resulting in the impressive final price performance.

Sotheby’s sold a Round Brilliant Cut Very Light Pink Diamond for 1.3 million CHF ($1.4 million) in November. The 16.73 carat pink diamond is Very Light Pink, Natural Color, VVS1 Clarity, Excellent Polish and Symmetry and a Type IIa diamond. The size of the pink diamond along with the Type IIa classification made this diamond highly prized.

In December Sotheby’s sold a cut cornered rectangular mixed cut fancy orangy pink diamond 5.02 carats for $684,000. The diamond is natural color, VVS1 clarity and classified as a Type IIa diamond. The diamond is set in 18 karat pink gold with 0.55 carats of accenting white diamonds that are F-G color and VS clarity.

Sotheby’s sold a Pear Shaped Fancy Pink-Purple Diamond for 445,500 CHF ($500,000) in May. The 3.06 pink diamond GIA report states the diamond is Natural Color, VS2 Clarity.

Sotheby’s sold a pear shaped very light pink diamond for 3,360,000 HKD ($430,000) in October. The pink diamond is 10.19 carats and the GIA report states the diamond is also Natural Color, SI1 Clarity. Pink diamonds that are over 10 carats are very rare and desirable by collectors.

The price of natural pink diamonds varies widely but in general are priced significantly higher than comparable clarity and carat weight white diamonds. Only about 0.01% of all diamonds that are mined are naturally pink. The closing of the Argyle mine in 2020 has significantly reducing the global supply, resulting in higher prices for top quality pink diamonds of all sizes.

The most expensive pink diamond to ever sell was sold by Sotheby’s in 2017 for $71 million. The CTF Pink Star is a 59.60 Carat Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid Pink diamond. Mined by De Beers in Africa in 1999, the 132.5-carat rough diamond was meticulously cut and polished over a period of two years and transformed into a stunning gemstone, thanks to Diacore. The five most expensive pink diamonds sold at Sotheby’s have ranged in price from $71 million to $27 million.

Pink diamonds at the lower end of the color grade around 1 carat are often priced between $15,000 to $20,000. Pink diamonds around 1 carat at the high end of the color grade can start close to $30,000. Sotheby’s sold a Fancy Vivid Purplish Pink Diamond 0.88 Carats, Natural Color, I1 Clarity for $35,000 in 2024. The price for pink diamonds 2 carats and above can range widely but generally start at over $100,000 for diamonds on the medium to lower quality grading scale and can exceed $400,000 for higher quality grade pink diamonds.

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