How to Buy a Purple Diamond – The Complete Guide

Diamonds are precious, and the most precious of all diamonds are natural fancy colored diamonds. In this guide, you will learn how to buy a purple diamond.

Purple diamonds belong to the family of Fancy Color Diamonds, the name for diamonds that exhibit a rich color. 

Fancy-colored diamonds come in various shades and colors: purple, yellow, blue, green, pink, and incredibly rare red. To understand how unbelievably precious and rare these fancy colored diamonds are – out of 10,000 colorless diamonds found, only one will be a fancy colored diamond.

Watch - Everything you Need to Know about Purple Diamonds:

What are Purple Diamonds?

"A garden of purple is always in bloom!" 

Purple diamonds are extremely rare, and therefore, the most common question that comes to mind is whether they exist or not.

And the answer is – yes, natural purple diamonds exist! So now, let's understand how these colored stones get their stunning hue.

Colorless diamonds are formed through a highly pressured process that involves carbon molecules. Fancy-colored diamonds also go through a similar process. However, sometimes other elements find their way inside and a shade forms. 

The source of purple color in diamonds is still a mystery, and scientists do not know for sure what creates their formation. However, one theory states that a combination of boron and hydrogen is responsible for this vibrant hue.

So, if a stone has only boron imperfections in its anatomical features, it would form a blue color. And the addition of hydrogen creates a purple shade in the diamond.

Purple Diamond Color Grading

Color is the most critical characteristic of purple fancy-colored diamonds. Color will affect the price of a stone more than any other factor. In the world of fancy colored diamonds, slight color differences can result in significant differences in the price per carat.

Experts consider hue, tone, saturation, and distribution to assess the color. 

• Tone refers to how dark or light the stone is.
• Hue is the visible color a stone exhibits.
• Saturation refers to how intense the color is.

Since purple is a combination of blue and red, when the GIA grades fancy colored purple diamonds, they distinguish between reddish-toned purple diamonds and bluish violet diamonds. Purple is rarer and, therefore, more valuable than violet diamonds. 

Both purple and violet diamonds often contain modifying colors, with purple diamonds often modified with pink or brown and violet diamonds often modified by gray or blue. The last color mentioned in a GIA report is the dominant color. An adjective describes the color when the secondary color is slight, and a noun describes it when it is more apparent. Therefore, a pinkish-purple diamond is primarily purple with a slightly modifying tone of pink, but a pink-purple diamond has a more noticeable pink tint, although still primarily purple. 

Along with a hue classification, the GIA grades purple diamonds down further into a description of tone and saturation:

• Fancy Light
• Fancy
• Fancy Intense
• Fancy Vivid
• Fancy Deep
• Fancy Dark

Together, this gives us a final color grade, for instance, Fancy Light Blueish Violet.

Vibrant, pure purple diamond colors are the most sought-after. Faint purple diamonds with greyish or brownish hues will be less valuable.

In the jewelry world, you may see purple diamonds under such marketing names as: 

• grape diamond
• orchid diamond
• lavender diamond
• plum diamond
• lilac diamond
• mauve diamond

Secondary Hues

Most purple diamond stones contain secondary hues of pink, red, blue, or gray. Depending on the presence of secondary hue, purple diamonds can be divided into two categories :

• Diamonds with secondary hues of pink and red are labeled under 'Purple' – for example, 'Fancy Purple Pink' diamond. (Purplish pink diamonds are considered as valuable as predominantly pink stones.)
• Diamonds with secondary hues of blue and gray are labeled under 'Violet' – for example, 'Fancy Violet Gray' diamond.
• Some purple diamonds also exist with orange, red, and brown undertones and are valued less.

The presence of secondary hues affects the stone's color and significantly impacts its price. Therefore, the price of a purple diamond varies from stone to stone.

Purple diamonds are more often very light and pastel in tone, even with intense and vivid grades, and violet diamonds are more often deep or dark in tone. In addition, they are often modified with pink or brown colors.

Watch to see an extremely rare purple diamond:

Purple Diamond Shapes and Cuts

Round brilliant cuts are the favorite for colorless diamonds because they allow the highest sparkle. However, fancy shapes such as cushion cuts and radiant cuts are the most favored ones for purple diamonds, followed by oval cuts, pear shapes, heart cuts, and marquise cuts.

Why is that so? The reason is that the round brilliant cut tends to weaken the color of purple diamonds.  And for fancy colored diamonds, it is the color that is unique quality, unlike colorless diamonds where sparkle and brilliance are most important. 

Artisans put in their best effort to enhance the color of the diamond, which includes making the girdle thicker, proportions deeper, or anything else that will help highlight the shade even more.

Purple Diamond Carat Weight

Carat weight is one of the critical factors in assessing the value of a colored diamond.

• Most of the fancy colored diamonds have a weight of less than 1 carat (regardless of their color).
• Fancy-colored diamonds above 5 carats are extremely rare and are highly valued.
• In simple words, the price of a fancy-colored diamond increases exponentially with the carat size.

Purple Diamond Clarity

Since purple diamonds are so rare and precious, a stone with fine color might have eye-visible inclusions but still be very valuable. 

Natural purple diamonds tend to have inclusions and generally fall in the SI1 to I2 clarity range. Dark inclusions and clouds are standard in purple diamonds, thus diminishing their clarity. Purple diamonds with clarity grades of VS2 or better are rare.

A purple diamond can have notable inclusions that give it a low clarity grade and still be valuable if the color is good enough. 

Purple Diamond Pricing

No formula or price chart can tell you how much a purple diamond is worth, as every colored diamond is priced individually based on many factors. However, I can give you a general idea of the cost in today's market. 

As we said above, the main factor in the pricing of purple diamonds is color. A pure purple diamond will fetch the highest price. Secondary colors of gray or brown will lower the price compared to a secondary tone of pink (a popular shade).

The majority of purple diamonds available are in the lighter end of the color spectrum. Dark and rich purple hues are much rarer and significantly more expensive.  

Let's give some current examples from James Allen. Pricing is in USD:

• 0.23-carat Fancy Intense Pink-Purple radiant diamond ~ $3200
• 0.20-carat Fancy Deep Greyish-Pink-Purple Sl2 cushion diamond ~ $5200
• 0.50-carat Fancy Light Pinkish-Purple VS1 oval cut diamond ~ $11000
• 1.01-carat Fancy Intense Pinkish-Purple Sl1 radiant diamond ~ $250,000

Purple Diamonds for Engagement Rings

Purple is the color that signifies royalty, luxury, magic, power, mystery, and nobility, and no doubt it is desired by diamond connoisseurs around the world. With their magnificent hue, purple diamonds make for stunning engagement rings.

Light purple diamonds come in lovely shades of lavender, lilac, orchid, and mauve colors that create gorgeous purple diamond engagement rings.

A purple or violet diamond is an excellent choice for artists, dreamers, deep thinkers, philosophers, and people who strive to find beauty in the world.

Purple diamonds are diamonds, so they have the same level of durability; with a rating of 10 on the Mohs Hardness Scale, a purple diamond engagement ring has no problem withstanding the test of time. 

Engagement Ring Settings for Purple Diamond

The engagement ring style can intensify or dilute the hue of the purple diamond.

• Side stone setting: Smaller side stones can be added to the purple diamond engagement ring, which will bring in additional style and, of course, carat weight.
• Pave setting: Pave setting with smaller stones lining the engagement ring's band can maximize its brilliance.
• Halo setting: Halo setting around a purple center diamond helps highlight the stone and increases the surface area, maximizing the ring's appearance.     
• A lovely and cost-effective use of purple diamonds is to use them as a halo around a colorless diamond. 
• Three-stone engagement rings with a purple diamond center stone, and white diamond side stones add contrast and make the color of your purple diamond look richer.

Purple Diamond Metal Choices

Pairing your purple diamond with rose gold creates a beautiful effect that accentuates the richness of the color. 

Try using a purple diamond center stone surrounded by a halo of colorless diamonds set in white gold or platinum.

The Most Affordable Purple Diamonds

Brownish-purple diamonds and grayish-violet diamonds are the most affordable subcategories of purple diamonds. 

Alternatives to a Purple Diamond

The idea of owning a purple diamond creates feelings of joy and magnificence. However, the price one has to pay for such luxury can burn a hole in the pocket.

If you are someone who wants to own a purple stone, but a natural diamond is out of your price range, have a look at some affordable alternatives. 

Purple Sapphire

Sapphires are beautiful and durable gemstones that are much more affordable than fancy colored diamonds. They come in various shades, ranging from pastel purple, to medium purple, to dark reddish-purple, to violet purple. These colors can perfectly mimic the look of a fancy purple diamond. 

Sapphires are almost as hard as diamonds on the MOHS scale (diamonds are a 10, sapphires are a 9).

[Read: How to Buy Sapphire Jewelry Online]

Amethyst

Amethyst is another alternative to purple diamonds. Amethyst, a purple shade quartz gem, is very affordable and available in delicate purple shades that can help create a gorgeous amethyst engagement ring.

Amethyst is not as durable as sapphire, being a 7 on the MOHS scale of hardness. This means amethyst can be easily broken, chipped, or shattered. Sapphires also have much more sparkle and clarity. 

Lab-created Alternatives (also known as synthetic, man-made, created and cultured) Diamonds

As the name suggests, lab-created stones are grown or created inside a laboratory. Under precisely controlled conditions, these labs simulate the natural process which forms a natural diamond but do it in a shorter period.

Lab-grown stones are the same as natural stones in all aspects, except they are grown in a lab instead of the Earth.

Purple diamonds are rare, even for lab-grown diamonds. Purple diamonds begin as pink and grow darker over time during the growing process. 

A lab-created diamond will still be expensive but cheaper than its natural counterpart. Similarly, lab-created sapphire can help you cut down on the price without compromising the quality.

Treated or Enhanced Stones

A colorless diamond or other gemstones can undergo various treatments to give the stone the desired color. The stones are real; the only difference is that they have color added or enhanced artificially. The only disadvantage of these treated stones is that the color can fade over time with exposure to heat and light.     

**An important point to note is that enhanced purple diamonds are difficult to achieve. Enhancement of a thousand carats of blues, greens, oranges, and yellows merely yield two to three carats of purple-colored diamonds. Only very few diamonds have the latent ability to turn purple when color enhanced using HPHT (High Pressure, High Temperature) process or when irradiated.  

Lab-created Alternatives (also known as synthetic, man-made, created and cultured) Diamonds

As the name suggests, lab-created stones are grown or created inside a laboratory. Under precisely controlled conditions, these labs simulate the natural process which forms a natural diamond but do it in a shorter period.

Lab-grown stones are the same as natural stones in all aspects, except they are grown in a lab instead of the Earth.

Purple diamonds are rare, even for lab-grown diamonds. Purple diamonds begin as pink and grow darker over time during the growing process. 

A lab-created diamond will still be expensive but cheaper than its natural counterpart. Similarly, lab-created sapphire can help you cut down on the price without compromising the quality.

[Learn how to buy lab-created colored diamonds]

Treated or Enhanced Stones

A colorless diamond or other gemstone undergoes various treatments to give the stone the desired color. Here, the stones are real, the only difference is that they are colored or their color is enhanced artificially. The only disadvantage of these treated stones is that the color can fade over time with exposure to heat and light.    

**An important point to note is that enhanced purple diamonds are difficult to achieve. Enhancement of a thousand carats of blues, greens, oranges, and yellows merely yield two to three carats of purple colored diamonds. Only very few diamonds have the latent ability to turn purple when color enhanced using HPHT (High Pressure, High Temperature) process or when irradiated.  

Are Purple Diamonds Worth the Investment?

It depends on what you want to do with the diamond and why you want one in the first place. 

Suppose you want to resell one day or hand it down to someone as a form of financial stability. Or you are looking at growing your investment jewelry collection. In that case, a natural colored diamond is one of the most reliable investment pieces in the fine jewelry world and will only compound in value over time.

If, however, you want a purple diamond because you like the color and for the pleasure of looking down at the sparkling stone on your finger, you can source a quality color-treated or lab-created diamond and get the same result for a fraction of the price. 

How to Buy a Purple Diamond

Here are the steps to buying a purple diamond:

1. Start with budget - diamond pricing varies so much that you will want a budget in place before you start. 
2. Decide what cuts and shapes you prefer. 
3. What carat size are you wanting? Anything below 1 carat will be most affordable. 
4. Go to James Allen or Blue Nile and browse colored diamonds to estimate cost and sizes. 
5. Decide on a cut or shape and carat size.
6. Be sure to purchase from a seller that includes GIA certification. 

Where to Buy a Purple Diamond

As you read this, your mind must be wondering where to buy a purple diamond. 

I highly recommend buying diamonds from reputed sellers who provide GIA certificates with their diamonds. One of the most trusted and reputed diamond sellers is James Allen. Why?

• They are the leader in online diamond sales.
• They have 18+ years of experience. With the prime focus on customer satisfaction, they provide excellent pricing for their diamonds.
• They have the highest tech diamond imagery in the industry, making it easy to search and preview diamonds accurately.
• You can choose your diamond and then choose a setting to create your engagement ring.

Click here to visit James Allen and add a captivating Purple Colored Diamond to your diamond collection!

Another excellent online seller is Blue Nile. Blue Nile provides customers with exceptional diamond buying tips and unbiased diamond and jewelry education guides. In addition, diamond and jewelry experts are available 24/7 to answer all questions.

Blue Nile stands behind its products with industry-leading Diamond Certification, secure delivery, 30-day returns, and lifetime guarantees.

Visit Blue Nile today!