In the world of diamonds, Natural Fancy Red diamonds are among the most rare. Less than 0.1% of all diamonds found in the world can be considered Natural Fancy Red and the bulk of those weigh less than half a carat.
The red color in these diamonds is not caused due to a foreign element present during its formation, it is due to irregularities present within the inner structure of the diamond, the crystal lattice.
Here’s a look at the five most famous red diamonds
1. Moussaieff Red Diamond
The largest red diamond ever recovered, the Moussaieff Red weighs in at 5.11 carats. Originally found by a Brazilian farmer in the 1990s by the Abaetezinho river in a region known as Alto Paranaiba. The stone, originally called The Red Shield, weighed in at 13.9 carats in its rough form. It was purchased by famed jeweller Shlomo Moussaieff in 2001-2002 and remains part of his company’s inventory to this day.
2. The Rob Red Diamond
Noted diamond writer Stephen Hofer called the Rob Red Diamond “the most saturated and purest red diamond measured visually and instrumentally to date in the world’. Weighing in at a slight 0.59-carats, no one is sure about the stone’s recovery, it is assumed to have been found in an alluvial deposit located within the remote interior of Brazil.
3. The DeYoung Red Diamond
Found in South Africa in the late 1920s, the DeYoung Red Diamond features a round brilliant cut and weighs 5.03 carats. Unfortunately, no one is sure of the diamond’s current whereabouts.
4. The Hancock Red
A former record breaker in the color diamond world, The Hancock Red is a 0.95-carat Fancy Purplish-Red stone. The diamond was originally purchased at auction in 1956 by Warren Hancock for $13,500. When it was put up for auction again in 1987, it sold for $926,000/carat. The previous per carat record for a diamond was $127,000/carat!
5. The Kazanjian Red Diamond
Recovered in South Africa in the mid-1920s, the Kazanjian Red weighs in at 5.05 carats. In its rough form, it was a whopping 35 carats until formed into an elegant emerald cut. The diamond spent 30 years in a private collection before being purchased by Kazanjian Bros. Inc.
Ouroboro Diamonds 