How Much is a 100-Carat Pink Diamond Worth? (What You Need to Know)

Do you know how much a 100 Carat pink diamond is worth? Well, you are at the perfect place to find the answer to such a question.

Fancy colored diamonds are all the rage right now–and pink has been an in-demand color since J. Lo got that fancy pink stunner from Ben back in 2002. Pink diamonds are rare, but 100 carat stones are extremely rare, even in colorless varieties. 

Large vivid pink and pink-purple diamonds have been selling at auction for $1-2 million per carat in recent years. Smaller pink diamonds, or those with less-vivid hues, still fetch upwards of $100,000 per carat for a natural stone. Lab-grown pink diamonds sell for between $2,000-$8,000 per carat. 

Curious about how much an extremely rare diamond costs? Pink diamonds are already rare in nature–and larger sizes capture much higher prices.

For everything you ever wanted to know about these super-lux diamonds and diamond price, read on. 

Are Pink Diamonds Rare?

Pink diamonds are some of the rarest diamonds, making up less than 0.1% of mined diamonds.

A 100 carat pink diamond is extremely rare. One famous example exists–the 183 carat Daria-i-Noor diamond that is currently in the Iranian crown jewels.

The crown jewels also contain a 60 carat pink diamond named Noor-ul-Ain. The two stones may have originally been part of the same giant pink stone. Their color is pale pink.

The largest pink diamonds selling at auction today are in the 15-20 carat range, though there are only a few of these available. 

Miners in Angola recently unearthed a 170-carat pink rough stone, which would make it the largest such stone found in 300 years.

It is unknown how big the stone will be when cut, and how vivid its color will be, but it may set a record for the most expensive gem ever sold–and may be the next example of a 100 carat pink diamond. 

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Why Are Pink Diamonds So Rare?

Many fancy color diamonds get their color from trace elements that are found within the Carbon of the diamond. For example, yellow diamonds have traces of Nitrogen, which gives them a yellow hue. 

Pink (and red) diamonds are pure Carbon–they don’t have trace elements like other fancy colors. Scientists believe that the fancy pink color comes from even higher pressure put on the stone after formation, which alters its structure slightly and turns the stone from colorless to pink.

This makes pink stones extremely rare. 

In addition, large stones are often more rare than small stones, since they are more likely to have inclusions or not be gem quality. 

How Much Do Large Pink Diamonds Cost?

Prices continue to rise for fancy pink diamonds, in part because the most productive mine for pink diamonds closed in 2020. Research indicates that prices for pink stones grew by 116% between 2010 and 2019. 

For the most expensive, highest-quality large fancy pink diamond, you are looking at a per carat price of between $1-2 million dollars. 

Other intense pinks in the 1-2 carat range may cost between $500,000-$1.5 M. 

Pink diamonds in the medium-sized range–between 2 and 5 carats–may range from around $150,000 to $2 million, depending on the intensity of the color and the beauty of the stone. 

Pink diamond pricing follows the 4 C’s just like all other diamonds: cut, color, clarity, and carat.

The cut of the diamond matters because a well-cut diamond will showcase its amazing color and sparkle. 

Color also determines price–many of the most expensive pinks sold are intense pink or purple-pink. Some pink diamonds are very faintly pink, while others are vivid shades. Others have a more brownish hue.

Diamonds are also graded on how uniform the color is, since a large stone may have variations in color across the stone. 

The brighter, vivid pinks seem the most in-demand, though color is of course a matter of personal preference. 

Diamonds with a lot of visible inclusions will garner less than something flawless. It is very difficult to find pink diamonds without inclusions due to the intense pressure under which they are formed. 

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How Much Are Small Pink Diamonds?

Smaller pink beauties are less expensive than their larger counterparts, though for a rare pink you may still expect to pay around $100,000 per carat. 

Can I Buy A Lab-Grown Pink Diamond?

Do you have your heart set on a pink sparkler, but are scared off by the price? Lab-grown diamonds are increasing in popularity, and more and more companies are offering them in colorless and fancy color varieties. 

Pink diamonds are grown in labs using Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) technology which uses chemical vapor that forms around a seed diamond. Once a white diamond is formed, the stone is then treated with irradiation to give it a pink hue.

While this is different from how pink stones are formed naturally–with intense pressure–the end result is not distinguishable from natural stones.

While this isn’t the option for everyone, a lab-grown diamond is still chemically and visually identical to an earth-grown diamond (it takes sophisticated equipment to tell them apart) and they are a fraction of the cost of natural diamonds.

In addition, if you are concerned about the environmental and ethical impacts of diamond mining and the diamond trade, a lab-grown diamond might be the way to go for you. 

Are Lab-Grown Pink Diamonds Expensive?

Lab-grown pink diamonds are still fairly rare, with only around 5% of lab-grown diamonds being pink in color.

At the time of writing, lab-grown vivid pink diamonds can be found in the 1-carat range for under $5,000, and the 2-carat range for under $10K.

For larger sizes, New World Diamonds offers intense pink lab-grown diamonds in the 4-carat range for $20,000-$25,000. 

Brilliant Earth offers vivid pinks in the 7-carat range for $55,000-$65,000.

Both sites offer a variety of shapes of the pink diamonds as well, making pink diamonds available to a much larger audience.

Can They Grow a 100-carat Diamond in a Lab?

Not yet. At this time, lab grown diamonds max out at around 10 carats. It still takes time to grow a diamond in a lab, so larger sizes aren’t too cost-effective, and there’s simply a stronger market for smaller stones. 

Famous Pink Diamonds

Curious about these super-lux beauties? Here are a few of the most notable pink diamonds sold in recent years.

Keep in mind these are often flawless, and exhibit the most intense and beautiful intense pinks of any pink diamonds:

The Lulo Rose 

In 2022, a 170-carat rough pink diamond was unearthed at a mine in Angola. According to the Australian mining company that found the stone, it may be the largest pink diamond mined in 300 years.

The Sakura

Named for the cherry blossom its color resembles, this internally flawless 15.81-carat fancy-vivid gem fetched $29.3 million in Hong Kong in 2021, or $1.85 millon/carat. 

The Spirit of the Rose

Named for a Russian Ballet, this ultra-rare 14.83-carat stone went for a record $26.6 million at an auction in Geneva in 2020, around $1.8 million per carat. 

The Winston Pink Legacy

This 18.96-carat rectangular-cut fancy vivid pink diamond was bought by jeweler Harry Winston at auction for $50.4 million in 2018, at a whopping $2.65 million per carat. 

The Pink Star

In 2017 the 59.60-carat Pink Star broke the record for the most expensive gem ever to sell at auction, going for $71.2 million to a Sotheby’s buyer in Hong Kong. 

The Graff Pink

Prior to 2017, the world auction record for a pink stone was held by the Graff Pink, a 24.78-carat diamond bought for $46.16 million in Geneva in 2010.

Where Do I Even Buy A Pink Diamond?

Your best bet is probably a reputable online seller. Online sellers have access to larger inventories of diamonds and often beat the prices of brick and mortar stores. You can almost always return the stone within 30 days (check and make sure, of course) and shipping is insured, which removes the risk. 

For lab-grown, check out Brilliant Earth, James Allen, or New World Diamonds. 

How Much is a 100-Carat Colorless Diamond?

Even if you could get your hands on a 100-carat pink diamond, who knows how much it would be worth?

In 2021, the D-color (the most colorless), internally flawless, 100-carat “Spectacle” diamond sold for $14.1 million–or around $140,000 per carat. 

Other famous giant white diamonds include the Winston Legacy, a flawless 101.73-carat pear shape sold to Harry Winston for $26.7 in 2013. Then 2017 saw the sale of the 163.41-carat Creation I stone, which sold for $33.7 million. 

Are Pink Diamonds More Expensive than White Diamonds? 

The price of pink diamonds varies greatly depending on the intensity and purity of the pink or pink-purple color, though pink diamonds are almost always more than colorless or white diamonds. 

A one-carat pink diamond may run as much as 20 times the price of a comparable colorless one-carat stone. 

Pink Diamonds FAQ

What is the highest carat for a diamond?

The largest gem-quality diamond ever found was the Cullinan diamond, which was 3,106 carats. It was eventually cut into smaller stones. 

What’s the rarest diamond?

Red diamonds are some of the most rare of any color. Like pink diamonds, they are formed when very intense pressure causes the diamond to form in a way that reflects red light.

Many red and pink diamonds came from the Argyle mine in Australia, which closed in 2020.

Do pink diamonds hold value?

Pink diamonds are some of the most rare and therefore fetch higher prices than colorless diamonds. Pink diamonds that have the most vivid colors tend to be the most valuable, though all pink diamonds are rare. 

Prices for pink diamonds have increased more than for white, blue, or yellow diamonds in the last 10 years. 

Lab-grown fancy-colored diamonds may affect the prices of diamonds in the future, though it is unclear how much impact they will have.

The Argyle mine in Australia, which mined around 80% of pink diamonds, closed in 2020, impacting the availability of these stones. 

What do pink diamonds symbolize?

Some people associate the color pink with love, romance, happiness, and delight, making them a good choice for engagement rings and anniversary rings. 

Pink diamonds are also extremely rare, signifying the unique taste of the wearer. 

Conclusion

Pink diamonds come in a huge variety of color hues and intensities, the most prized of which end up being some of the most expensive gems ever sold. 

Pink diamonds are extremely rare and extremely beautiful, which has resulted in steep price increases in the last 10 years or so. 

The introduction of lab-grown pink diamonds has allowed a wider range of consumers to purchase pink diamonds, though they still remain very rare and unusual. 

References

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/sakura-diamond-auction-christies/index.html