To date we have never been asked to make a Red diamond claddagh ring. Red diamonds are so rare that only around twenty to thirty true red diamonds are known to exist. Most of these red diamonds are less than half a caret size.
Unlike other fancy colour diamonds, red diamonds are made purely from carbon. The red colour is created by a rare deformation in its atomic structure. known also as 'plastic deformation.'
Red diamonds look different in various lighting conditions and surroundings. They look their most excellent in daylight and candlelight and they appear of poor quality in fluorescent light. Natural red diamonds are graded by the great intensity of their colour. They range from dark pink to purplish red. The stronger the colour, the greater the value of the diamond.
FAMOUS RED DIAMONDS
THE HANCOCK RED DIAMOND:
'The Hancock Red Diamond' is a splendid diamond. It is a round brilliant cut weighing 0.95ct and was named after the famous collector, Warren Hancock. It is not famed for its size but rather for its uncommon purplish red colour. In 1956, Mr Hancock reportable paid $13,500 for the diamond which was later sold in 1987. It is fair to say this was one of the greatest gemstone investments of the century.
THE ROB RED:
'The Rob Red' is a pear shaped, 0.59 fancy red, VS1 clarity diamond. It has been described as the most saturated and purest red diamond measured visually and instrumentally to date in the world.
THE MOUSSAIEFF RED DIAMOND:
Known before as the 'Red Shield', the 'Moussaieff Red is a triangular brilliant , fancy red, internally flawless, 5.11ct diamond. It was discovered in the 1990s by a Braziliian farmer in the Abzetezinho River. In 2001, the Moussaieff jewellery firm purchased this diamond for $8 million. It is the largest red diamond in the world today.
THE SUPREME PURPLE STAR:
'The Supreme Purple Star' is a round brilliant cut, 2 to 5 carat, deep purple. The exact colour and clarity of this diamond have not been revealed. When looking at the diamond from one angle, it appears to have a deep purple colour, however, when the diamond is rotated in the light, the colour changes to a deep to vivid purplish red.
THE KAZANIJAN RED DIAMOND:
One of only three red diamonds over five carats. It is an emerald-cut stone. It has a dark hue resembling that of a garnet or a ruby, and in its nearly century-long history, it has been mistaken for the latter. It has a colorful history. In 1944, the Nazis occupied the Netherlands and confiscated all valuables, including this diamond. After the war, it resurfaced in a salt mine near Hitler's retreat in Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, where an American general mistook it for a ruby.
In 2007 the firm Kazanjian Brothers purchased the red diamond after realizing that it was the missing stone.
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