AncientWorldArtifacts: Purple Diamonds

It is believed purple diamonds are the result of plastic deformation of a diamond's crystal lattice combined with high amounts of hydrogen.

Purple stones are as equally rare and valuable as red diamonds and command the same high prices when they (rarely) appear for sale.

Purple is the colour of royalty, of courage and honor. For hundreds of years, it was the colour of kings, as only royalty could wear purple. Purple heart medals are given to soldiers killed or wounded in action, as a recognition of their bravery and sacrifice.

Pure purple diamonds are virtually impossible to find. Most natural purple diamonds are lightly shaded with hints of pink, red, blue, gray or even brown, tinting the diamond slightly and lowering the overall perceived quality of the gem.

The heart-shaped, 7.34-carat Royal Purple Heart diamond is a fancy vivid purple, I-1 clarity , heart-shaped stone weighing 7.34 carats, and it is the largest fancy vivid purple diamond known to exist. Discovered in Russia, the diamond is named for its color and shape, both of which are unique for this stone. Its owner is unknown.

A fancy intense pinkish purple VS2 diamond. 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. says the gem originated from a South African mine, one of the 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.

The mysterious Supreme Purple Heart. Despite its name, the diamond is a round brilliant cut. Its precise color grade is not known, nor is its clarity. Even its weight is a matter of conjecture, with estimates ranging from two to five carats.

Like the Royal Purple Heart Diamond, the Supreme Purple Heart's origins have not been confirmed, but most believe it was mined in the Amazon basin within the last 30 years. The diamond is remarkable in that its color changes – when viewed from one angle, it appears deep purple, and from another angle looks deep red.

The Argyle Rosette

Diamonds headlining the 2014 collection from the Argyle mine are the Argyle Rosette which is a 2.17 carat fancy intense purple-pink emerald cut diamond and the Argyle Toki which is a 1.59 carat fancy intense purplish-pink emerald-cut diamond.

Argyle Toki

Even celebrities have a hard time getting their hands on purple diamonds.

In 2003, Lakers star Kobe Bryant – who at the time was facing rape charges – appeased his wife, Vanessa, by buying her an eight-carat purple diamond ring worth about $4 million.