Pink is slowly but surely becoming more popular for engagement rings, and we think this trend started all the way back in late 2010s when morganite shot into popularity. So pink diamonds are a natural progression, and after that pink sapphires are a no-brainer. But which one should you go for, pink diamond or pink sapphire ?
Today we’re comparing pink diamond vs pink sapphire, looking at their durability price ranges, color, and discuss which one would work best in an engagement ring. Take a look.
Pink sapphire vs pink diamond
Pink sapphires have a more vibrant and intense color than pink diamonds, and are more affordable by comparison. Pink diamonds are far rarer and more expensive, and your chances of finding a pre-made pink diamond ring are very slim. Both pink diamond and pink sapphire are great options for an engagement ring center stone since they’re both very hard gemstones. Pink diamonds still retain a lot of their sparkle while pink sapphires don’t really sparkle, they offer more color instead.
What is pink diamond ?
Pink diamond is a type of colored diamond that falls within the fancy color diamond category. This diamond type owes its color to slight imperfections in the crystal lattice within the diamond, so the light is bent in such a way that the diamond appears in shades of pink. It’s a fairly rare type of diamond, harder to find than yellow, chocolate, or blue diamonds.
What is pink sapphire ?
Pink sapphire is a type of corundum that has both titanium (blue) and chromium (red) traces within it, with chromium in the highest amount. This results in a pink color that may sometimes lean towards a light purple color. They’re not exactly rare as far as sapphire go, but blue ones are the highest in demand so you may have to be patient when sourcing a pink sapphire.
Read also: What Is A Portuguese Cut Gemstone ?
Now let’s compare pink diamonds to pink sapphires and see just how different they are from one another.
1. Pink diamond is tougher than pink sapphire
Pink diamonds are tougher than pink sapphires, and this is due to their extremely tight atomic bond. A diamond’s hardness is a 10/10 on the Mohs hardness scale, while a sapphire is 9/10 on the same scale. This is a bit of an unbalanced scale because the 10 is about 4 times tougher than the 9.
What does this mean ? You can scratch a diamond only with another diamond, while a sapphire can get a scratch from diamonds, moissanites, and other sapphires.
Still, both diamonds and sapphires are extremely tough. The lower hardness rating on a sapphire doesn’t mean much in comparison to a diamond because both are incredibly tough, will last a lifetime without scratching, and will be fit to pass down to future generations if you wish.
2. Pink sapphires are often a more vivid color than pink diamond
Pink diamonds tend to be a washed-out red, or a pinkish-grey, or a dusty pink color. The don’t often get to a very bright or saturated pink so don’t get your hopes up. The brightest pink diamond will also be the most expensive one, and the hardest to find.
Pink sapphires have a far brighter, more vivid pink color to them. This is because pink sapphires have a pink body color, while pink diamonds have a clear body color and just a few inclusions and the odd crystal lattice to make them appear pink.
So if you’re looking for a bright, vivid pink you’d better off with a pink sapphire. If you want a pale pink you can find pink diamonds and pink sapphires in that color as well.
Both pink sapphire and pink diamond may have noticeable inclusions, but they don’t drag the price down. As long as the color is good, so is the gemstone.
3. Pink diamond is far more expensive than pink sapphire
Pink diamonds are much more expensive than pink sapphires. This is because they’re diamonds and they’re also rarer than pink sapphires, so they will always come with a higher price tag. Now let’s look at the average prices.
Pink diamonds sell for an average of $100,000 per carat, with some sources selling them for nearly $1,000,000 per carat. Pink diamonds are insanely expensive and the larger the carat, the more expensive the diamond because these colors don’t usually come in over 1 carat. You’re most likely to find these in the 0.2-0.8 carat range.
Meanwhile pink sapphires sell for an average of $18,000 per carat, with a vivid color. You can get paler colors for less, but overall pink sapphires are far more affordable than pink diamonds. So if you’re looking for a more intense color with a far lower price you might be better off with pink sapphire instead of pink diamond.
4. Pink sapphire is easier to find in pre-made jewelry
Both pink sapphire and pink diamond are rare gemstones, but pink diamonds are much rarer than pink sapphires. This means that sourcing a pink diamond is more difficult than a pink sapphire, and finding pre-made jewelry in pink diamond is far, far more time consuming than pink sapphire.
So if you’re not looking for a custom piece you will easily find a pink sapphire ring, necklace, bracelet, or anything else.
5. Pink diamond still sparkles, pink sapphires don’t
Colorful gemstones always catch they eye with their colors, of course. But a bit of sparkle is always welcome ! So if that’s something you’re actively looking for, or just an added bonus, you’ll find that pink diamonds sparkle much more than pink sapphires.
Can you use pink sapphire instead of pink diamond ?
You can use a pink sapphire in place of a pink diamond if you’re looking to get the color right, but it will not sparkle as much as a pink diamond even if it is the right color. However the price tag will be significantly lower, so you can work with a smaller budget.
If you’re looking for other alternatives to a pink diamond there are other pink gemstones as well. We’ve made a list of the most relevant natural pink gems for jewelry, and you can find it right here. We’ve discussed their hardness ratings, overall color range, and average prices.
You can always get a lab-grown pink diamond or a pink moissanite or pink cubic zirconia if you’re comfortable with lab-grown gems.
Is pink diamond or pink sapphire better as an engagement ring ?
Both pink diamonds and pink sapphire are great as engagement ring center stones, because they are incredibly tough, will last a lifetime, and will always impress. A pink sapphire is better able to get you a vivid pink while a pink diamond may be paler but it will sparkle much more. It really depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re unsure here’s a couple examples of pink sapphire and diamond engagement rings.
Blake Lively has a pink diamond engagement ring
Blake Lively has been married to Ryan Reynolds since 2012 and they’ve had 3 beautiful daughters since. When Ryan proposed, he did so with a stunning oval-cut 12ct pink diamond solitaire, prong-set on a diamond-studded rose gold band. The diamond is light-pink, but it’s one of the most elegant rings out there.
Lady Gaga has a pink sapphire engagement ring
Lady Gaga and Christian Carino started dating in 2017 and confirmed their engagement in late 2018. The engagement ring was in a style similar to the late Princess Di’s sapphire ring. Lady Gaga sported an impressive 6-8 carat pink oval-cut sapphire, surrounded by a halo of smaller round-cut white diamonds, everything set in either white gold or platinum. They’ve since split in 2019.
What metal do pink sapphire and pink diamond go with ?
Pink sapphire and pink diamond go very well with any metal color, but they go especially great with rose gold and yellow gold for their warm colors. You can still wear these pink gems with a white metal like white gold or platinum but they might work better with a warmer toned one.
I’m the main author for jewelrymaterialguide.com. I started this site after we did tons of research before our wedding and noticed that there is information about rings, jewelry, and so on that is really hard to find on the internet.
