About The Royal Purple Diamond

Purple diamonds are some of the most sought-after gemstones all over the world. That’s mostly due to their rarity.

Officially, red diamonds are thought to be the rarest and the most expensive of all colored diamonds. But if you’re a savvy jewelry shopper, you may have realized that the displays of most jewelry stores feature more red than purple diamonds.

So, while the fact isn’t officially accepted, the occurrence of purple diamonds is a bit lower, especially for processed stones. And since they are difficult to come by, it’s even harder to find a large gem-quality purple diamond.

However, the world has been treated to some iconic purple diamonds that also happen to be of a substantial size. One such diamond is the Royal Purple Heart Diamond.

About The Royal Purple Heart Diamond

The Royal Purple Diamond is a 7.34 purple gemstone whose origin and history has been largely shrouded in mystery. Due to the rarity of purple diamonds, this perfect heart cut stone has been one of the most treasured gems ever since it was discovered. The diamond has been graded by the Gemological Institute of America as a Fancy Vivid stone.

The Royal Purple Diamond holds the distinction as the largest purple diamond to ever be discovered. Therefore, you would expect the gem to have generated immense publicity during its cutting and faceting stages. However, unlike most large and unique diamond finds out there, not very much information is available on the Royal Purple Diamond. Perhaps it’s that mystery that makes gemologists quite interested in this diamond. All in all, the diamond is a real work of craftsmanship, considering its rare color, large size, and the fancy shape.

Etymology

The name Royal Purple Heart Diamond is inspired by two major attributes of the gemstone. Those include the color and the  shape of the diamond.

We already mentioned how difficult it is to come by naturally-occurring purple diamonds. And we also pointed out how it’s even harder to find large naturally-occurring gem-quality diamonds. Now, also factor in the rare shape of the Royal Purple, and you’ll begin to appreciate how unique this gemstone is.

Heart shapes are reasonably challenging to cushion. Not only does it require high craftsmanship, but cushioning heart shapes also means shedding off significant carats from the stone. So, for the Royal Purple to weigh a whopping 7.34 carats after cutting and processing, we can only imagine how heavier it might have possibly been as a rough diamond.

Once cushioned, heart shapes are known for their remarkable brilliance. Due to their elongated facets, heart-shaped diamonds absorb maximum ambient light and color, before harnessing it and finally reflecting it back to the stone. That explains why the Royal Heart Diamond is one of the most sparkling  pieces of rare gemstones ever discovered.

History of the Royal Purple Heart Diamond

Not so much information is available on the history of the Royal Purple Heart Diamond. However, unsubstantiated reports claim that the diamond might have originated in Russia. After its discovery, the cutting and polishing of the Royal Purple were entrusted to Julius Klein Diamond Corporation. And that’s as far as the history of the Royal Purple goes.

It’s important to remember that most diamonds are named after their owners or mines of origin. But due to the limited information available on the history of the Royal Purple, the diamond was exclusively named after its color and shape.

However, the Royal Purple Diamond has been handled by some of the most renowned entities in the jewelry industry. For instance, it was officially graded by the GIA. Besides, the British gemologist Michael Hing also had the rare privilege of examining the Royal Purple sometime in 2002. It was actually one of the few famous diamonds Hing ever examined.

Mr. Hing described the Royal Purple Diamond as having a diagonal surface graining. According to him, the graining was clearly visible to the naked eye, especially if observed under a glancing light. That flaw in the diamond’s external structure is evidently a blemish on the otherwise rare and precious gem.

Mr. Hing also added that the stone is not as blue as it’s normally depicted in photos. Instead, it’s generally more purple than lilac. The diamond also features a thick girdle, though the thickness isn’t uniformly distributed. Hing reckons that the extra thickness was an ingenious way of preserving the  carat weight during the cutting and polishing process.

Characteristics of the Royal Purple Heart Diamond

Carat

The Royal Purple Heart Diamond weighs a whopping 7.34 carats, which makes it the largest diamond of its kind.

Color

Besides numerous depictions of the Royal Purple as lilac-blue, the diamond is actually purple.

Cut and Shape

The diamond is a perfect heart, fancy-cut gemstone. It’s this combination that gives it its immense glittering effect.

Clarity

The Royal Purple Diamond has an I-1 clarity. However, a diagonal surface graining accounts for much of the stone’s external blemishes.

Purple and red diamonds are considered the rarest. And due to their exquisite colors, these diamonds also come with quite hefty price tags. Another thing worth noting is that most purple and red diamonds tend to occur in smaller weights, typically, below 5 carats. But unlike other rare purple diamonds, the Royal Purple Heart Diamond appears to be an exception to that rule. The diamond’s 7.34 carats not only gives it the distinction of the largest gem-quality purple diamond available. It also means the gemstone is quite a spectacle in terms of fire and brilliance. As you may already know, a diamond’s light-handling properties improve with an increase in carat weight.

The Royal Purple Heart Diamond is classified under what’s known as plastically deformed type IIa diamonds. To better understand this, let’s briefly highlight how diamonds occur.

During the formation of diamond crystals underneath the earth’s surface, certain other atoms are incorporated into their structures as impurities. The two most common ones are Nitrogen and Boron. Nitrogen is the most prevalent impurity in diamond crystals, with a presence in about 98% of all natural diamonds. Diamonds that contain traces of nitrogen tend to appear yellow. Such diamonds are known as Type I diamonds. The intensity of the yellow color depends on the concentration of nitrogen impurities in the crystal.

The remaining 2% of natural diamonds contain no traces of nitrogen and are known as Type II diamonds. However, a tiny percentage {0.1%} of Type II diamonds tend to contain considerable amounts of Boron in their crystals. Diamonds that contain impurities of Boron generally appear blue and are known as Type IIb diamonds. The remaining 99.9% of all Type II diamonds contain no impurities at all, or the quantity cannot be detected. Such diamonds fall within the Type IIa diamonds and are generally colorless.

However, some Type IIa diamonds may have been subjected to plastic deformation of their crystal structures. That often results from the bending and twisting of the tetrahedral units within the crystal. The deformed areas within the crystal can absorb light across various regions of the spectrum. As a result, the light is reflected in the stone as rare fancy colors. The colors in this category include red, orange, brown, pink, and purple.

Fun Facts

1. The history of the Royal Purple Heart Diamond isn’t disclosed, neither is the mine of origin. Also, there isn’t reliable information on the previous as well as current owners of the stone.
2. Though it has been graded, the diamond’s current price hasn’t been established.
3. Much as the diamond has a heart shape, the heart lacks a crucial component that would have made it a true heart – the cleavage.

The Royal Purple Heart Diamond is probably the most mysterious famous diamond in the world. The much we know is that it sports a unique color and shape. That suggests the diamond may be quite expensive, even though it’s yet to be appraised. Here are more unique diamonds you may want to check out.