Colored Diamonds - What They Mean

COLORED DIAMONDS

Rare and very expensive, natural colored or “fancy” colored diamonds reflect the colors of the rainbow.

Yellow is the most common colored diamond, while pink, red, blue and green diamonds are extremely rare. Fancy color diamonds are cut to maximize color, not clarity. Of the 4Cs, color is the most important criterion for these stones. Generally, the higher the saturation of color, the more valuable the stone.

The appearance of color is created from the combined effect of

• hue – the predominant color
• tone – the darkness of the color
• saturation – the intensity of the color Diamonds get their color from trace elements or internal structural anomalies in the diamond. For example, Brown is caused by a distortion of the atomic structure of the stone. Brown diamonds vary in shades from Champagne to Cognac.

Yellow gets its color from the presence of nitrogen

• Blue diamonds are created from trace elements of boron.
• Pink diamonds owe their coloring to a phenomenon in the crystal lattice structure of the diamond.
• Green diamonds were exposed to natural radiation as they were forming billions of years ago.

The GIA uses specific grades to identify the ranges of color

• Faint
• Very Light
• Light
• Fancy Light
• Fancy
• Fancy Intense
• Fancy Vivid
• Fancy Dark
• Fancy Deep

Always consult an expert certified gemologist before investing in a diamond. To speak with an expert call or email (561) 716-0377, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .