Fall begins the season of pumpkins; pumpkin carvings, pumpkin spice latte, and pumpkin donuts to name a few. But there is another popular pumpkin item that comes with a much heavier price tag and a richer history than these pumpkin favorites, the Pumpkin Diamond, a beautiful 5.54 carat orange diamond.
The Pumpkin Diamond, also known as the Pumpkin Orange, is a Fancy Vivid Orange diamond with a cushion cut. It was mined as a brownish orange rough diamond in 1997 in South Africa. Although the mine of origin is unknown, the rough diamond was originally owned by a farmer, which led experts to believe it was formed from alluvial deposits. Alluvial deposits typically consist of silt, gravel, clay, sand, and other organic matter formed within rivers.
This beautiful stone was transformed, cut, and polished by William Goldberg of the well-known William Goldberg Diamond Corporation. In its natural state, the diamonds potential was hidden and it took a skilled craftsman to unveil its true beauty. Once polishing was complete, a brownish orange rough diamond was transformed into a 5.54-carat Fancy Vivid Orange diamond. The GIA stated, “The Pumpkin diamond is one of the largest fancy vivid orange, naturally colored diamonds in the world.”
Colored diamonds are the rarest type of diamonds available, with orange gems being among the scarcest colored diamonds to be unearthed. While their value is typically lower than the star colored diamond hues such as pink and blue, very few orange diamonds have ever been discovered, making the Pumpkin even more special. What makes the Pumpkin Diamond even more unique is its rating of Fancy Vivid, one of the highest grades for colored diamonds.
So how did this color diamond get it’s name and where is it now? On October 30, 1997 (the day before Halloween), the diamond was purchased at a Sotheby’s auction for $1.3 million by Ronald Winston, the head of Harry Winston at the time. Given the color, shape, and the season in which the diamond was purchased, it’s assumed the name of the Pumpkin Diamond was decided upon due to a combination of these influences.
The Pumpkin Diamond has had some A-List appearances since its original sale. In 2002, acclaimed actress Halle Berry accepted the Oscar Award for Best Actress, wearing a ring designed by Ronald Winston and Phillip Bloch. This ring featured the Pumpkin Diamond set between two white diamonds. It later appeared in 2003 at the Splendor of Diamonds Exhibition held by the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.
After these notable appearances, Harry Winston went on to put the diamond back up for auction. It is quite common that when colored diamonds are purchased, the buyers ask for both their identity and the price to remain anonymous. This was the case for the Pumpkin Diamond, although it is rumored that the diamond was sold in March of 2005 for a little over $3 million.
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For more famous diamonds, see the links below:
- The Beautiful Orange Diamond: One Of History's Unique Diamonds
- The Most Valuable Naturally Colored Diamonds of 2016
- Famous Purple Diamonds: The Argyle Violet
- The De Beers Millennium Jewel 4
- The Star of the South Pink Diamond
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