11 Carats of Diamond carved into a Pumpkin
How was the Pumpkin diamond discovered?
The Pumpkin Diamond was found in South Africa in the 1990s. As far as we can tell, the diamond was first discovered by a farmer. Unlikely he was a Pumpkin farmer!
The diamond in the 11.0cts of rough was a prominent brown colour with only flashes of orange. Once cut and polished into the Cushion Modified Brilliant, it weighed 5.54cts. The polished Diamond, described as strong vivid orange in colour.
Subsequently, the orange diamond sold the day before Halloween in 1998. The buyer, Ronald Winston, (president and CEO) of Harry Winston, named the incredible stone the Pumpkin Diamond. This fancy vivid orange diamond sold for 1.3 million!
Winston designed a setting for it, with two smaller, crescent-shaped white diamonds on either side. It was valued at more than $3 million.
The Pumpkin diamond and other extraordinary diamonds
This collection of extraordinary gem diamonds was on temporary display at the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, during Summer 2003. Counter-clockwise from center, the 203.04 ct De Beers Millennium Star (courtesy of De Beers LV), the 59.60 ct Fancy Vivid pink Steinmetz Pink (courtesy of Steinmetz Group), the 27.64 ct Fancy Vivid blue Heart of Eternity (courtesy of a private collector), 5.54 ct Fancy Vivid orange Pumpkin (courtesy of Harry Winston Inc.), the 5.11 ct Fancy red Moussaieff Red (courtesy of House of Moussaieff), the 5.51 ct Fancy Deep blue-green Ocean Dream (courtesy of Cora Diamond Corp.), and the 101.29 ct Fancy Vivid yellow Allnatt (courtesy of SIBA Corp.). Photo by Chip Clark, courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution. Article and image credit by John M. King and James E. Shigley
Article and Images Credit GIA ‘AN IMPORTANT EXHIBITION OF SEVEN RARE GEM DIAMONDS’
Whatever happened to the Pumpkin diamond?
Once cut, the Pumpkin diamond went into a ring between two white diamonds. Actress Halle Berry loaned the stunning piece to wear at the 2002 Academy Awards. Interestingly, she won an Oscar for best actress that night. In 2003, the Pumpkin was removed from its setting and featured in the Smithsonian’s The Splendor of Diamonds exhibit that showcased seven of the world’s most rare and valuable coloured diamonds. It was the only orange diamond included in the exhibition.
The largest vivid orange coloured diamond
The Pumpkin diamond remains the largest fancy vivid orange-coloured diamond ever examined by the gemological institute of america. When exposed to ultraviolet radiation, the diamond emitted moderate orange fluorescence to long-wave UV. In addition, weak-to-moderate orange fluorescence to short-wave UV. Furthermore, after turning off the UV lamp, observers noted a weak yellow phosphorescence.
The diamond itself presents cloud-like and needle-like inclusions. However, a lack of information exists about the clarity grade. This is due to the most recent buyer in 2005 remaining anonymous.
About Mark Johnson
My name is Mark and I'm founder at Serendipity Diamonds. By day you'll find me working in our showroom—in a variety of roles. My work (which I love) ranges from photographing jewellery, to writing blog posts and helping clients with my colleagues Drina, Emily and Debbie.
