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In this article:

  • How rare are red diamonds?
  • How much can you buy red diamonds for?
  • What makes the Moussaiëff Red Diamond unique?
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Allow us to introduce you to the fancy red

A naturally coloured diamond is incredibly rare. Only 1 in 10,000 will be certified as a fancy colour diamond. A separate grading applies to these exclusive gemstones, where the intensity of the colour determines the value. Buying coloured diamonds, particularly the fancy red, is therefore certainly more of an investment.

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What makes red diamonds one of the rarest gemstones in the world?

Red diamonds represent the pinnacle of diamond rarity, with only 20-30 ever discovered worldwide. Unlike other colored diamonds, red diamonds exist in only one shade—"fancy red"—caused by crystal lattice deformations that even GIA experts cannot fully explain.

Most red diamonds weigh less than half a carat, yet their price starts around $100,000 for just 0.2 carats. These exceptional gems have no fixed price and are typically sold at auction, with record sales reaching $5 million.

The most valuable is the Moussaiëff Red Diamond, worth $7 million. Originally discovered by Brazilian farmers as a 13.9-carat rough stone, this 5.11-carat triangular brilliant is the largest red diamond in existence. Its exceptional size and color make it truly one-of-a-kind in the diamond world.

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How rare are red diamonds?

Unlike other coloured diamonds, the red diamond is only ever found in 1 shade, namely the ‘fancy red’. The colour is supposed to be the result of deformations in the crystal lattice. Having said that, even the experts at GIA can’t explain the red colour. To date, only 20 to 30 red diamonds have ever been found right across the world.

Most red diamonds weigh less than half a carat. But even buying small red diamonds is an expensive affair.

How much can you buy red diamonds for?

In contrast to colourless diamonds, there is no fixed price for coloured diamonds. The price is determined during an auction. Red diamonds will generally soon cost you more than 100,000 dollars from 0.2 carat. The record price ever paid for a red diamond was noted in Hong Kong a few years ago and was a grand total of 5 million dollars.

The most expensive red diamond in the world is the Moussaiëff Red Diamond. This is worth 7 million dollars and, with its 5.11 carat, is also the biggest red diamond.

What makes the Moussaiëff Red Diamond unique?

Its rare colour and size! The rough stone weighed 13.9 carat when it was first found in the nineteen nineties by Brazilian farmers in the Abaetezinho river in the Alto Paranaíba region. The diamond was bought and cut into a triangular brilliant by the William Goldberg Diamond Corp.

It was bought by Shlomo Moussaiëff in 2001, an Israeli-American jewellery merchant from London.

Are you interested in buying coloured diamonds yourself? Contact BAUNAT’s experts via telephone, email or chat. Are you looking for a more affordable alternative to jewellery with coloured diamonds? Take a look at our collection of jewellery with rubies, sapphires and emeralds.

  • Fabienne Rauw

  • BAUNAT Antwerp

  • Fabienne, manager of the German market is able to guide every client with finding the right jewel. She takes care of most of the German orders, but also takes other task on her plate. Thanks to her six  years of experience at BAUNAT she acquainted well with the product and the marketing around it. Her degree in PR ensures that BAUNAT is well presented across all media channels. For anyone looking into a new investment opportunity, Fabienne is the perfect guide in this process. No question will be left unanswered, and she will help you every step of the way.

Fabienne, manager of the German market is able to guide every client with finding the right jewel. She takes care of most of the German orders, but also takes other task on her plate. Thanks to her six  years of experience at BAUNAT she acquainted well with the product and the marketing around it. Her degree in PR ensures that BAUNAT is well presented across all media channels. For anyone looking into a new investment opportunity, Fabienne is the perfect guide in this process. No question will be left unanswered, and she will help you every step of the way.