The Pumpkin Diamond is a diamond

Diamond

In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...

 measuring 5.54 carats (1.108 g) rated in color

Diamond color

A chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond is perfectly transparent with no hue, or color. However, in reality almost no gem-sized natural diamonds are absolutely perfect. The color of a diamond may be affected by chemical impurities and/or structural defects in the crystal lattice...

 as Fancy Vivid Orange by the Gemological Institute of America

Gemological Institute of America

The Gemological Institute of America, or GIA, is a nonprofit institute dedicated to research and education in the field of gemology and the jewelry arts. Founded in 1931, GIA's mission is to protect all buyers and sellers of gemstones by setting and maintaining the standards used to evaluate...

. While this may seem small when compared to other famous diamonds, the Pumpkin Diamond is, in fact, one of the largest Fancy Vivid Oranges the GIA reports having rated and is unique compared to other orange diamonds because it is light-colored and notably intense. The Pumpkin Diamond was mined in Central African Republic

Central African Republic

The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...

 and then imported into South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 for sale, it was later cut and polished by William Goldberg

William Goldberg (diamond dealer)

William Goldberg was an American diamond dealer and the founder of the William Goldberg Diamond Corporation.-Biography:Goldberg was born December 22, 1925 in Brooklyn, New York City. He started cutting diamonds in 1948, but found that his aptitude lay with buying and selling diamonds rather than...

, and put to auction at Sotheby's

Sotheby's

Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...

 where it was bought by Ronald Winston of the House of Harry Winston

Harry Winston

Harry Winston was an American jeweler. He donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958 after owning it for a decade, and traded the Portuguese Diamond to the Smithsonian in 1963.-History:...

 for the price of $1.3 million. It is currently estimated to be valued at $3 million.

Formerly referred to simply as the 5.54 Vivid Orange, Winston named the diamond "The Pumpkin Diamond" as he bought it the day before Halloween. After buying the Pumpkin, Winston proceeded to have the diamond set in a ring between two smaller white diamonds. Halle Berry

Halle Berry

Halle Berry is an American actress and a former fashion model. Berry received an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and an NAACP Image Award for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and won an Academy Award for Best Actress and was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2001 for her performance in Monster's Ball, becoming...

 wore the ring to the 2002 Oscars where she won the Academy Award

Academy Awards

An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...

 for Best Actress for her role in Monster's Ball

Monster's Ball

Monster's Ball is a 2001 romantic drama film directed by Marc Forster, starring Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry, and Heath Ledger, and written by Milo Addica and Will Rokos. It was produced by Lionsgate and Lee Daniels Entertainment....

.

While it is difficult to tell exactly what status the Pumpkin Diamond currently enjoys, the official GIA web site reports it as "one of the largest Fancy Vivid orange natural color diamonds in the world." The Color Diamond Encyclopedia, on the other hand, terms it "the world's largest fancy vivid orange diamond." In 1997, when it was purchased by The House of Harry Winston, the Gemstone Forecaster referred to it as "the only vivid orange ever graded by the GIA" (which is incorrect as there are several other vivid orange stones graded by GIA and offered for sale on websites, past and present).

The Pumpkin Diamond was displayed as part of the Smithsonian's "The Splendor of Diamonds" exhibit, alongside The De Beers Millennium Star

Millennium Star

The Millennium Star is a famous diamond owned by De Beers. At 203.04 carats , the world's second largest known top-color , internally and externally flawless, pear-shaped diamond....

, the world’s largest top colour (D) internally and externally flawless pear-shaped diamond at 203.04 carat (40.608 g) and The Heart of Eternity

Heart of Eternity Diamond

The Heart of Eternity is a diamond measuring 27.64 carats , rated in color as "Fancy Vivid Blue" by the Gemological Institute of America. The Heart of Eternity was cut by the Steinmetz Group, who owned the diamond before selling it to the De Beers Group.The Heart of Eternity is a member of an...

, a 27.64 carat (5.528 g) heart-cut blue diamond.

External links

• Famous Diamonds: The Pumpkin. "The Pumpkin". Retrieved June 7, 2007.