Naturally colored diamonds are an incredible sight! The deep grey/blue color of the 45.20ct Hope Diamond or Jennifer Lopez’s 6.10ct pink diamond engagement ring with Ben Affleck give us a wow-experience! But, what exactly is a naturally colored diamond, and why is it so special?
Natural Fancy colored diamonds are truly the rarest of the rare! In fact, only 1 in 10,000 diamonds have a fancy color, according to the Gemological Institute of America. While the rarest fancy colored diamonds are heavy in carat weight and are intense in color, most fancy colored diamonds are more toned down and muted in color, like Blake Lively’s wedding ring. Let’s not be mistaken, though, they are still rare!
Surprisingly, naturally colored diamonds come in a rainbow of colors! Red, pink, green, purple and orange are generally the rarest, followed by pink and blue, with yellow and brown being more common. Black and grey diamonds are considered fancy colored diamonds as well! The causes for diamonds to have various colors are as follows:
· Red, Pink, Purple, and Brown – Slight changes in the crystal structure
· Blue – The presence of Boron
· Yellow and Orange – The presence of Nitrogen
· Green – Radiation exposure that displaces the carbon atoms from their normal positions in the crystal structure. Green diamonds are often looked at with suspicion because it is difficult to tell if the radiation exposure happened in the ground while developing or as a treatment after it was mined.
· Black – Large quantities of mineral inclusions like graphite, pyrite, or hematite
Over the years, you have probably heard terms to describe natural colored diamonds, like cognac, canary, champaign, or chocolate. These are only trade names, and not listed on the fancy colored diamond grading scale. What you will see on a GIA diamond grading report for colored diamonds is one of these color distinctions, Faint, Very Light, Fancy, Fancy Intense, Fancy Dark, Fancy Deep, or Fancy Vivid.
In the last few years, there has been a national jewelry chain store advertising their fancy colored diamond jewelry line which might cause you to wonder why I am saying that they are so rare. There are two main processes that diamonds can be treated after they are mined to change the color of a diamond: Irradiation and High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT). These diamond treatments bring the cost of a colored diamond significantly and make them more plentiful and cost effective to use in fashion jewelry. Treating diamonds for color isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but they must be disclosed in the sales presentation and paperwork.
I would love to help you with a fancy, colored diamond! Angela Cisneros Jewelry Concierge brings back the joy and confidence of jewelry shopping, so that you can celebrate with ease! My by-appointment approach means:
One-on-one appointments (personal attention and no crowds!)
Discretion and privacy (surprises remain surprises!)
Expert help from a Graduate Gemologist with 25 years of experience (yep, that’s me!)
Book your FREE appointment with me today! www.angelacisneros.com/book-appointment
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