For every 10,000 gem-quality diamonds, only one natural fancy color diamond is found. The most valued among these rare treasures are pinks and blues, while yellow and brown are the prevailing hues. Moreover, deep and intense colors are very popular in the market today.

According to a research by Knight Frank, the price of natural fancy color diamonds grew by 85 percent within the last 10 years, outperforming classical luxury investment objects such as art and watches.

Eden Rachminov, an advisory board member of the Fancy Color Research Foundation, said, “Recent price declines in white goods created an overall negative psychological effect on all diamonds.” Thus, prices of yellow diamonds declined by 0.8 percent in Q2, primarily influenced by 1-carat to 3-carat categories. The sharpest drop of 2.7 percent was recorded among 1-carat stones. Blue diamond prices dipped 0.3 percent while pink diamond prices rose 0.4 percent.

Nevertheless, Rachminov noted that the long-term price trend for natural fancy color diamonds is positive. “It’s definitely a good time to buy fancy color diamonds now,” he added.

The demand for natural fancy color diamonds is growing due in part to diminishing diamond deposits in the world. Fancy color diamonds are becoming very rare. The gradual depletion of diamond deposits globally will likely further reduce the fancy color diamond volumes in the market, which may eventually lead to price increases.

There are still several deposits in the world where natural fancy color diamonds are mined. For example, Yakutia, a region in Russia with a harsh climate and seven months of winter, is rich in diamonds, including fancy color stones. Russian diamond miner ALROSA operates there, mining about 7,000 carats of fancy color diamonds per year. The company is also one of two diamond miners in the world who run their own in-house polishing operations, allowing the manufacture of polished diamonds, which are sold internationally. With an in-house cutting division, the company also guarantees that all its diamonds are traceable with a unique ID, 100 percent responsibly sourced and of natural origin.

In September, ALROSA is hosting the second annual True Colors auction of natural fancy color diamonds through its online platform, diamonds.alrosa.ru. The auction will take place between September 16 and 23, while buyers can view the diamonds at the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair from September 16 to 20.

The True Colors collection consists of more than 200 polished diamonds, in various shapes and hues, certified by the Gemological Institute of America. It includes some of the rarest and most valuable natural color diamonds in the world. The Russian miner cuts its diamonds in accordance with renowned Russian jewellery traditions. The diamonds are of the highest quality and have a good reputation.

In 2018, the Russian company sold 210 unique diamonds well above starting prices at the first True Colors auction.

This year’s auction has a very special feature: Each diamond comes with a comprehensive story, and a special extended digital “passport,” with information about its origin along with standard characteristics. To make the buyer’s journey more interactive, a customizable movie about every diamond on the platform is also available. Thanks to Alrosa’s traceability programmes, the consumers can witness the diamonds’ fascinating journey from mine and market. Buyers can even find out the name of the diamond polisher.