From rare purple diamond discoveries to record-breaking sales, Paris Couture Week kicks off with a bang as new first-of-its-kind report presents the world's most coveted and rarest fancy colour diamonds.
LONDON, July 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As the world's most prestigious and visionary maisons prepare to illuminate Paris Couture Week with their dazzling creations featuring the rarest, most exquisite, fancy colour diamonds, the world's spotlight is on the astonishing discovery of an extremely rare purple diamond at Canada's Diavik mine. The find is so exceptional that it's already being hailed as one of the most significant in recent memory, electrifying the industry and fuelling a surge of interest. The excitement doesn't end there. June 2025 saw a string of record-breaking sales for fancy colour diamonds, including the nearly $14 million auction of the legendary Marie-Thérèse Pink diamond at Christie's New York and a standout $1.5-2 million fancy pink diamond ring at Sotheby's. Adding to the buzz, Lauren Sánchez has been hitting headlines with her dazzling pink diamond jewellery estimated to be worth millions of dollars at her recent Venice nuptials to Jeff Bezos.
Against this backdrop, a new report is set to redefine our understanding of these incredible gems. Released today (2 July 2025) by the Natural Diamond Council (NDC), in partnership with Choron Group and the Fancy Color Research Foundation, the Fancy Colour Diamond Report offers a front-row seat to the allure of these sparkling tributes to the wonders of nature. With contributions from the world's leading fancy colour diamond experts, collectors, auctioneers and retailers, the report reveals the secrets of their formation, their rich and storied legacy, and their meteoric rise as a symbol of wealth and artistry. For centuries, through their extreme rarity, value, and dazzling beauty, fancy colour diamonds have been an integral part of the highest quality craftsmanship and contributed to exquisite high jewellery.
Sparkling facts from the report
The report delves into the secrets behind each exquisite colour, examines their rarity based on extensive research, analyses their value factors, showcases the auction appeal, features top curated exhibitions, and brings us back to some of the most notorious fancy colour diamonds.
- The most prized hues are red, pinks, blues and greens
- Only a handful of red diamonds larger than two carats are known to exist
- Fancy colour diamond prices have grown at a compound annual rate of 5.7% over the past 20 years, according to the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF)
- The chameleon effect is a phenomenon where the colour of diamonds changes temporarily when kept in darkness or gently heated
"These are exciting times where bold creativity and colourful, rare beauty takes centre stage," says David Kellie, CEO of the Natural Diamond Council. "This is why we decided to continue our Diamond Report series with a beautiful edition focused on these rare gems. Through our vast network of partners and industry experts, we wanted to provide a go to guide on fancy colour diamonds for press, retailers, and passionate consumers alike. Fancy colour diamonds are the ultimate expression of passion, desire, personal style and enduring value - no two are ever the same. We're not talking about just jewels, we're talking about a vibrant legacy of Earth's ultimate power and beauty."
The unstoppable value of fancy colour diamonds
Chromatic gems continue to command record-breaking prices and inspire awe. The past two decades have seen fancy colour diamonds outshine the entire market, with prices skyrocketing by a staggering 205% since 2005. Pink diamonds have soared by?393.5%, blue by 242.4% and yellow by 49.3%1 - a sign of their rarity and insatiable global demand.
"While global trade anxieties have created caution across luxury sectors, the fancy colour diamond market remained impressively composed. The data shows a contained, strategic repositioning. It speaks to the market's growing maturity and the defensive appeal of vivid colour diamonds," said Roy Safit, CEO of the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF).
Cutting for colour
When cutters decide on how to cut a rough diamond into a polished gem, they seek to maximise appeal and value. For fancy colour diamonds, that means making the colour as bold and beautiful as possible.
"Fancy colour diamonds are an ultra-rare and highly esteemed segment of the market that demands a profound understanding of craftsmanship and gemmology. With decades of technical expertise, Choron works closely with collectors, investors, and luxury brands for the full spectrum of fancy colour diamonds. Backed by a global network and a strong presence in key markets, we continue to set benchmarks in the trade of fancy colour diamonds, transforming nature's rarest creations into timeless works of art", highlights Anshul Gandhi, CEO of Choron Group, one of the world's leading fancy colour diamond manufacturing and trading companies.
Putting fancy colour diamonds on the map
Over the past 150 years, discoveries have revealed additional sources of fancy colour diamonds. But, even today, only a handful of diamond mines produce these exceptional gems, and they still make up just a tiny fraction of total diamond output.
The report's topology reveals the global hotspots where fancy colour diamonds have been discovered, including Canada, Botswana, South Africa, Sierra Leone and Australia.
Auction appeal
Colour diamonds may represent just a tiny share of global diamond production, but they command massive attention - especially on red carpets, at exhibitions, and in major auctions. Fancy Deep, Fancy Intense, and Fancy Vivid have become the stars of the auction world, prized as both striking jewels and valuable investments. That excitement continues to build. 2024 saw a string of standout colour diamond sales, and 2025 is already shaping up to be another big year. Highlights include:
The Mediterranean Blue, a 10.03-carat, VS2 clarity Fancy Vivid blue cushion modified brilliant diamond, was sold for $ 21.4 million at Sotheby's Geneva in May 2022. This translates to a staggering sum of $ 2.1million/carat. Sotheby's High Jewelry sale in New York in June 2025 represented the whole rainbow of colours that natural diamonds can form in. In addition, to the 5.02-carat?fancy pink diamond ring?(est. $1.5-2 million) there was the 2.02-carat?Fancy Vivid blue diamond?(est. $1.4-1.8 million), an incredibly rare?Fancy green-blue diamond ring?weighing 2.61 carats (est. $250,000-350,000),?and a 26.19 carat Fancy Vivid yellow diamond and diamond ring (est. $750,000-1 million). The 10.38-carat Marie-Thérèse Pink diamond, linked to France's Queen Marie Antoinette and newly mounted by JAR, just doubled its pre-auction estimate at Christie's New York also in June 2025?for nearly $14 million.
Of course, the legendary CTF Pink Star, a 59.60-carat, Fancy Vivid pink, internally flawless diamond, fetched the all-time record-breaking sale at $71.2 million at Sotheby's Hong Kong auction in 2017 acquired by the leading Chinese jewellery house, Chow Tai Fook. "There are very few important pink diamonds over 20 carats. It is less likely that we will see more important sizable pinks," shares Tom Moses, Executive Vice President of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
As Paris Couture Week commences, expect to see abundant rich colours on the runways and red carpets as the top maisons showcase their new, exquisite, gem-encrusted fine jewellery collections.
Download the full report here.
Notes to editors
About the Natural Diamond Council
The Natural Diamond Council (NDC) is a not-for-profit organisation committed to inspiring and educating consumers on the real, rare and responsible values of natural diamonds and the positive global impact of the industry. Our?Only Natural Diamonds?platform is the authoritative publisher on all things natural diamonds including myth-busting facts, celebrities and pop culture, epic diamonds and jewellery trends, engagements and weddings, and diamond buying guides. In addition, we provide marketing, promotional, and educational services to brands, designers and retailers, encouraging them to amplify the values and integrity of natural diamonds.
NDC is?a global organisation whose members' operations?span four continents and 10 countries including Canada, South Africa and Botswana. Their operations support the livelihood of 10 million people worldwide.?
NDC operates out of offices in New York, Shanghai, Mumbai and Antwerp, with satellite teams in the UK and France.
For interviews, commentary or to request further information, please contact:
Arabella Holland
Goad Communications?
arabella@goadcommunications.com
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