I would like to wish you all Happy New Year 2018!
What a better way to start this year than talking about colour. “Ultra Violet” has been named the colour of the year 2018 by Pantone Color Institute.
The Carlstadt - color authority - called Ultra Violet (color 18-3838) “an enigmatic purple shade that evokes the inventive spirit and imaginative thinking that challenges the status quo.” It also said in a statement “a spiritual, cosmic hue that pushes the boundaries of what inspires us to look upward and outward to the future.”
Violet is considered the colour of spirituality and represents transformation, creativity and spiritual. This colour will have major impact in fashion and jewellery this year.
I personally love violet in all its shades and hues. I have several outfits in this colour however, I am sad to say that I don’t possess a Natural Violet Diamond!! Soon to be amended!
As you might already know, diamonds are formed from elements that compounded together over millions of years. Most of the time it is straight carbon, but every once in a while, different elements find their way in there and cause a fantastic hue of other natural colours.
The shades of colours in which diamonds have been found is endless. One of them is Violet and those diamonds are extremely rare.
The vast majority of violet and purple diamonds come from the Argyle Mine, the same mine that most pink diamonds are found. The Argyle Diamond Mine is located in the East Kimberley region in the remote north of Western Australia. Nonetheless, they are also found in other locations around the globe like: Canada (Quebec), Russia and the Amazon.
Most colour diamonds owe their colour to some sort of impurity. In the case of violet diamonds, the colour is the result of an unusually high presence of Hydrogen, but the exact mechanism is as yet unknown.
They are often very small and diamonds greater than 1 carat are exceptionally rare. Diamonds of a pure violet colour represent less than 10% of all violets. The number of intense and vivid violet diamonds mined each year could be counted on one hand.
Like all the other colour diamonds these, violet and purple diamonds are assessed by intensity of colour which is a combination of saturation and tone. They go from a light tint to a vivid one. The more intense the more valuable the diamond will be.
Natural fancy violet/purple diamonds are exceedingly expensive and are arguably second only to natural red diamonds in value and rarity.
Violet diamonds are rare and unique, they are a special alternative to colourless diamonds. Additionally, since violet diamonds are so rare it is one of the “must have” diamonds for diamond collectors. No collection is completed without some of the rarest colour diamonds on the planet, and Violet diamonds most definitely fall into this category.
Are you ready to add some colour to your wardrobe and jewellery collection?
If you are, make an appointment and we will share our love for all shades and tone of violet!
NB: All images are borrowed from different media, internet sites and MBC archive.