Ranging from dazzling intense pink to more subtle champagne pink tinge, fancy diamonds possessing that rare crystalline structure that allows for them to absorb blue green colour to appear pink are extremely popular world over. Pink after all is the colour of passion, the popularity of pink diamond engagement rings among celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Victoria Beckham and others prove the theory right.
Such diamonds are judged according to the intensity of their colour, ranging from very intense and vivid like the stunning Steinmetz Pink diamond to pale pink of the exquisite Darya-ye-Noor which is an integral part of the Iranian crown jewels. In recent times actress-singer Jennifer Lopez's 6 carat engagement ring brought the rare pink diamonds to the forefront of popular imagination. The rarity of these exquisite diamonds only added fuel to the craze and voila soon pink diamonds have made a grand entry as the hottest accessory to possess.
Famous diamonds that made history
The most well known diamond in the world is not even a real diamond, it is none other that the famous Pink Panther Diamond that Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau made famous in 1964. Let us take a closer look at some of the real pink diamonds that have left their mark on history.
• Ocean of Light or Darya-ye-Noor in pale pink weighing 175 carats is one of the most famous and rarest diamonds in the world today. Nadir Shah in 1793 carried off this rare beauty from the Mughal court to Persia along with the Peacock throne and Koh-i-Noor diamond. Many researchers believe that this treasure of the Iranian crown jewels was actually a part of a large pale pink diamond studded on the famous Peacock Throne of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and was later cut into two pieces, while one is famous as the Darya-ye-Noor the smaller diamond is called Noor-ol-Ein studded into a tiara which is also a part of the Iranian crown jewels. It is believed that Darya-ye-Noor was a part of the bigger Diamanta Grande Table, so named by the French traveler Jean Baptiste Travernier in 1642, that adorned the throne of the great Mughals.
• Noor-ol-Ein or "The Light of the Eye" too was brought to Persia form India by the invading armies of Nadir Shah after the sacking of Delhi and Agra. Canadian researchers speculate the light of the eye diamond was actually part of a bigger pink diamond studded on the throne of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Others opine that this precious diamond came form the famous Golconda mines of India. Whatever its origins, there is no doubt that this rare beauty that adorns the tiara of Empress Farah Pahlavi is a unique treasure.
• Steinmetz Pink, at 59.60 carats weight is the largest fancy vivid pink diamond in the world. Originally hailing from South Africa this rare find is treasured mainly for its vivid colouring and flawlessness. A team of at least 8 international jewelers took over 20 months to cut this internally flawless diamond that was introduced in Monaco in 2003.
• Le Grand Conde or the Pink Conde Diamond is a pear shaped exquisite piece of diamond that was gifted to Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Conde by Louis XIII of France in 1643. Louis de Bourbon, who placed the diamond at the centre of his bejeweled walking stick, was as the Grand Conde which is exactly what the diamond too came to be known as.
• Hortensia Diamond named after Queen Hortensia de Becuharnias of Holland, who was also the step-daughter of Napoleon Bonaparte, is a flat pale pink diamond that can now be found at the Louvre museum.
• The Williamson diamond is part of a collection of exquisite diamonds that was presented to Queen Elizabeth II in 1947 as her wedding gift by Canadian geologist Dr. John Williamson. It is a 23.6 carat diamond that was later incorporated into a brooch designed by Cartier in 1952.
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