Orange-sicle Ice

Pricey Gem Turns Heads in Hong Kong
Sotheby's Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite Sale had a spectacular 4.19 carat Fancy Vivid Orange diamond up for bid. Found a buyer too at $2.96 million to boot. Divvy that up to $705,587 per carat; making this sunny stone the highest per carat priced fancy colored diamond on record--ever.

Fancy But Hard to Find
Popular as fancy color diamonds are becoming, certain fancy colors will always be exceptionally hard to find. Pure spectral hues of any color diamonds narrows the field, and within that group, straight red or straight orange are exceedingly scarce to put it mildly.

Anomalies Mark These Special Stones
Fancy colored diamonds can appear in any source around the world. But the Kimberly Premiere mine is known for producing some extraordinary fancy oranges. Of the few orange fancies found, they are often type 1b, which also is an indicator of low thermal conductivity. These fiery rocks have other anomalies as well. Gemologists may discover high amounts of nickel (Ni) in orange stones they test, and some even fluoresce a pink-ish orange. Scientists also tell us these particular fancies often appear with several kinds of crystal inclusions within the stone.

Where to Find Them
The Asian market leads the global interest in rare fancies like this superb rarity. Savvy collectors there acquire the best of the best, so when something this amazing comes up for sale, one can be sure to see it auctioned in the Far East.