During the first few months of 1985, the New York office of the GIA Gem Trade Laboratory examined more than 150 gem-quality fancy pink diamonds, most of which had similar color, spectra, luminescence, color zoning, surface textures, and inclusions. This dramatic increase in the number of pink diamonds offered in the trade recently, along with the fact that a great majority exhibit similar physical properties, suggested a new source of pink diamonds. This observation, together with information received from several diamond dealers to the effect that pink diamonds had been recovered from the Australian deposits, suggests that most or all of the above-mentioned stones originated in Australia. This article reports on the gemological properties of these "new" pink diamonds and describes a number of characteristics that, seen in combination in a stone, are indicative of Australian origin.
