Rare purple diamond unearthed at Diavik mine in Canada

A rare purple diamond has been unearthed at the Northern Canadian mine – a 0.45-carat stone that stands out in a region better known for producing predominantly colorless gems and the occasional yellow stone, adding a splash of unexpected color as the operation approaches the final years of its mine life.

Rio Tinto’s announcement comes just weeks after the recovery of a 158.2-carat yellow diamond and a 50-million-year-old petrified log that were recovered.

Though small in size, the stone is striking for its rarity, with colored diamonds of any kind making up less than 1% of Diavik’s total production over more than two decades of operation. Among them, purple diamonds are the rarest, their distinctive hue typically attributed to hydrogen impurities or plastic deformation deep in the Earth’s mantle – a result of the intense pressure and heat that alters the crystal structure during formation.