A fancy intense pinkish purple VS2 diamond will be shown to the public for the first time during the September Hong Kong Jewelry & Gem Fair, September 15 – 21. The 3.37-carat gem, named the “Purple Orchid,” has an asking price of $4 million, or nearly $1.2 million per carat.
Leibish & Co., an Israeli firm that owns the diamond, says the gem originated from an unnamed South African mine, one of the very few in the world where purple diamonds can be found. The company purchased the diamond as a rough of more than 4 carats and spent four months cutting and polishing the gem.
Leibish Polnauer, president of Leibish & Co., says it is a “once-in-a-lifetime” find. “There is nothing more unique on the market right now than color diamonds, and this incredible purple diamond is more than a cut above the rest. There are very, very few diamonds on the market above 3 carats with purple as the main color, which is what makes this exquisite diamond so rare.”
There isn’t a lot of documentation on how purple diamonds get their color, but it is believed that it is the combination of crystal lattice distortion (which is also involved in the creation of pink diamonds) and high amounts of hydrogen.
The jewelry trade show is only open to qualified jewelry professionals.
——
A unique, personal jeweler who works nationwide, Keith Saxe is GIA and FIT trained and has been a trusted high end diamond jewelry specialist for 26 years. He is the founder and president of NYC Wholesale Diamonds located at 47 West 47th Street Suite 3A in the New York City Diamond District. His website is www.NYCWholesaleDiamonds.com and he authors a blog www.NYCDiamondBlog.com. Keith has a full service store located across the street from his private office, and a San Diego factory showroom. He offers GIA Certified Ideal Cut Diamonds, and state of the art fine jewelry designs at low wholesale prices. Keith has been named the N.Y. Diamond District’s Favorite Jeweler by the N.Y. Post’s Savvy Shopper column, had his diamond education articles published, been recommended in the New York Times, CNN reporter Robyn Spizman’s ‘Perfect Present Guide’ and ‘The GIFTionary’, as well as having his Diamond Halo Engagement Ring design featured on ‘The Knot’ http://www.theknot.com/weddings/album/a-preppy-upstate-wedding-in-aurora-ny-144122