Two of the most famous and valuable natural-color green diamonds are the “Aurora Green” and the “Dresden Green.”

The Aurora Green

In 2016, a ring containing the Aurora Green, a 5.03-carat, VS2 clarity, Fancy Vivid green diamond, was sold at a Christie’s auction for $16.2 million. That was the highest price ever paid for a green diamond at public auction.

Prior to the auction, gemologists at the Gemological Institute of America graded the Aurora Green and reported that it was the largest Fancy Vivid green diamond with a natural color that they had ever graded as of January 20, 2016.

The Dresden Green

The Dresden Green is a natural green Type IIa diamond with a clarity grade of VS1. It is a faceted gem of 41 carats with a uniform green color. Some diamond experts believe that it was cut from a rough diamond produced at the Kollur Mine in the Indian State of Andhra Pradesh. Others believe that it was cut from rough mined in Brazil.

The first known record of the Dresden Green is from a 1772 article in a London newspaper. The date of this article corresponds to a time when a number of green diamonds with uniform color were mined in Brazil and brought to Europe.

Cutting Natural Green Diamonds

Most natural-color green diamonds have a color that is only “skin deep.” This prevents many of them from being cut into faceted gems that retain a distinct green color. Diamonds with a green color that is evenly distributed through the stone are exceptionally rare.

When the green color is confined to a thin layer just below the natural surface of the rough, the shape of the finished diamond must be carefully planned to preserve as much green color as possible. Often the diamond is cut to preserve green color around the girdle of the stone or sometimes to preserve color in the culet. With a small volume of color to start and sometimes only a portion of it remaining, these green diamonds are a special challenge to cut and often have a low color saturation.