How The Pumpkin Diamond Got Its Vibrant Color
If you’re lucky enough to live in a region that experiences all four seasons, there is a good chance that Fall is your favorite. The weather is dreamy, the Pumpkin Spice Latte is back, Halloween is upon us—and there’s no better time to spotlight the orange diamond. Just as colors can influence your mood, orange evokes an instant urge to carve pumpkins, sip hot apple cider, and stroll through crunchy autumn leaves. It’s a hue that defines the season, appearing everywhere from festive decor to the changing landscape.
Meet the Expert
- Grant Mobley is the Jewelry & Watch Editor of Only Natural Diamonds
- He is a GIA Graduate Diamonds Graduate
- He has over 17 years of jewelry industry experience, starting with growing up in his family’s retail jewelry stores
The rarest natural occurrence of orange happens to conjure the most spirit for the season while also being the most stunning. A natural orange diamond is not only the most infrequent occurrence of orange in nature but is also among the rarest colors of all natural diamonds. Ahead, discover two famous orange diamonds that stand out from the rest.
The Science Behind Orange Diamonds’ Color
Although the cause of orange diamonds’ color is not fully understood, scientists know that nitrogen impurities play a big part. Like yellow diamonds, nitrogen impurities are incorporated in the diamond’s carbon lattice structure during formation deep within the Earth. The arrangement and abundance of nitrogen impurities cause a range of yellow colors, from light to deep.
The same is true for orange diamonds, except nitrogen absorption is found at a different, more uncommon wavelength. In addition to nitrogen, some orange diamonds are even thought to have color caused by plastic deformation, the same cause of pink diamonds. The vast majority of orange diamonds have secondary hues of either red, pink, purple, or yellow. “Pure” orange diamonds, however, are almost as rare as fancy red diamonds.
How Rare Is an Orange Diamond?
Orange diamonds are among the rarest natural colored diamonds in the world, with pure orange specimens exceptionally hard to find. Most are discovered in South Africa, particularly in the Kimberley and Finsch mines, though a few have also been found in Australia. It’s estimated that less than 0.05% of all natural diamonds exhibit an orange hue, and even fewer achieve the prized “fancy vivid” designation without secondary colors.
Famous Orange Diamonds
Given their extraordinary rarity and fiery brilliance, it’s no surprise that orange diamonds have captivated collectors and connoisseurs alike. Among the few ever unearthed, a select handful have achieved legendary status for their size, color intensity, and remarkable provenance.
The Pumpkin Diamond
The first and perhaps the most famous orange diamond is appropriately named the Pumpkin Diamond. The Pumpkin Diamond was discovered in the mid-1990s as an 11-carat rough diamond with a brownish-orange color. Legendary diamond cutter William Goldberg purchased the stone, hoping to maximize the beauty of its hue through the art of diamond cutting.
Often, the full potential of a colored rough diamond isn’t revealed until it is cut. Diamond cutters sometimes buy rough stones in hopes of producing a more valuable finished gem, but the gamble doesn’t always pay off. In the case of the Pumpkin Diamond, however, Goldberg successfully transformed the brownish-orange rough into a “fancy vivid orange,” the highest and rarest color grade for an orange diamond.
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) graded the stone, which stated at the time, “The Pumpkin diamond is one of the largest fancy vivid orange, naturally colored diamonds in the world.” William Goldberg‘s gamble had paid off. But where did The Pumpkin Diamond get its name? The now 5.54-carat cushion-cut orange diamond was auctioned by Sotheby’s on Halloween eve, 1997, and purchased by Ronald Winston of the renowned New York jeweler Harry Winston. Its shape, color, and day of the purchase were no doubt Ronald Winston’s inspiration for the perfect name.
After its purchase, Winston designed a classic three-stone ring to set the remarkable stone, flanked by two smaller colorless diamonds. Halle Berry later wore the ring in 2002 as she accepted her Oscar for Best Actress for her role in the film Monster’s Ball. In 2003, the Pumpkin Diamond was shown as part of the Smithsonian’s “Splendor of Diamonds” Exhibition, which is still recognized as one of the most remarkable displays of diamonds in history. An anonymous buyer purchased the ring from Winston in 2005 for reportedly over $3 million.
The Orange Diamond
The Pumpkin Diamond remained the largest example of a fancy vivid orange diamond ever discovered until 2013, when mysteriously, a 14.82-carat fancy vivid orange pear-shaped diamond was announced to be auctioned at Christie’s. This miracle of nature is so unique that it is simply named, The Orange Diamond.
In an accompanying document to the grading certificate, GIA said of The Orange Diamond, “Pure orange diamonds are exceptionally rare in nature. So few have been graded in the world that the origin of their color still bears a part of mystery. The present diamond is the largest Fancy Vivid Orange diamond graded by GIA to date: In the Laboratory’s experience, strongly colored diamonds in the orange hue range rarely exceed three or four carats in size when polished. (This diamond) is almost four times larger than that size range.”
This extraordinary diamond sold in Christie’s Geneva auction in 2013 for more than $35 million, almost twice its original high estimate. It was purchased by a private collector who was present in the saleroom but still wishes to remain anonymous. Even though it sold in 2013, it remains in the top three most valuable stones per carat sold at auction and is the largest fancy vivid orange diamond ever to be discovered.
Next time you are carving your Halloween pumpkin or crunching on the orange leaves outside, imagine the rarest orange that nature has given us, orange diamonds, and add them to the list of things that get you in the mood for the season.
