Fancy color diamonds are exceedingly rare, only 1 in 10,000 carat diamonds are supposed to exhibit a color that is strong enough to qualify them as ‘fancy color diamond’. They can be literally any shade of the rainbow and everything in between, based on the presence of elements that interact with carbon during formation.
It’s fascinating to think of the importance of the geographic origin of fancy colored diamonds; for example, yellow diamonds were first discovered in South Africa, and pink diamonds, in Australia. The specific formation conditions are directly related to the elements present in the earth.
It is recommended to buy a ‘fancy color’ diamond which has been certified by a gemological lab like GIA to know the origin of color. Most of them are a mixture of more than one color, but each one is exquisitely unique and one of nature’s most beautiful creations.
The first yellow diamond was discovered in South Africa by a teenager playing in the grass. It was named the Eureka Diamond. After brown, the yellow diamond is the most common fancy colored diamond and is the most affordable. The golden glow of yellow diamonds, also called canary diamonds, is formed when nitrogen is present during formation.
Like other fancy colored diamonds, the range of shades goes from subtle to dramatic, with intense hues considered more desirable. There are a few ways to obtain one. The rarest yellow diamonds are formed in nature, with the most variety of shades and hue intensities. With a natural diamond, if you have a particular shade in mind, be prepared to pay more. Another way is to ask for a natural, white color diamond that is treated to be yellow. And another way is to buy a lab-grown yellow diamond, available in many shades that are closer to their natural counterparts, but significantly less expensive.
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Pink diamonds are exceedingly romantic and considered quite classically feminine in their rosy hue. Naturally formed pure pink diamonds are as popular as they are rare; it is more common to find pinks tinged with purple, brown, or champagne.
Today, Australia, and namely, the Argyle diamond mine, was the source of about 90% of the world’s natural pink diamonds. It was opened in 1983 and became the first major diamond-mining operation in Australia. Unfortunately the mine has already closed, so hold on to your pink stones! Unlike blue diamonds, which get their color from boron, it is not exactly clear how pink diamonds get their color. It is believed that the beautiful coloring is due to the diamond creation process as pink diamonds are subjected to a greater amount of pressure than any other diamond.
As with all fancy colored diamonds, if you are looking for a specific shade or hue, a lab-grown diamond or color-treated natural diamond might be the best choice. Color-treated pink diamonds are usually rich in their hue. Lab-grown pink diamonds come in the purest of delicate pink shades, similar to natural diamonds, and are quite lovely to behold.
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When it comes to fancy colored diamonds, blue is one of the most popular and sought after colors, but is very rare as a natural gemstone, so be ready for some sticker shock when planning your purchase. The steel blue tone of a natural blue diamond brings to mind a rolling deep sea, as opposed to other blue stones like aquamarine or sapphires, which are brighter like the sky or a tropical cove. The reason for the blue shade is the amount of the element Boron that is present in the earth during formation. Boron is also conductive to electricity, and therefore some blue diamonds are also!
As with all fancy colored diamonds, if you are looking for a specific shade or hue, a lab-grown diamond or color-treated natural diamond might be the best choice, especially considering the absolute rarity of natural blue diamonds. Color-treated blue diamonds tend towards turquoise and are rich in their hue. Lab-grown blue diamonds come in the purest of delicate blue-gray shades, similar to natural diamonds, and are quite lovely to behold.
The most famous natural blue diamond is the ‘Hope Diamond’, a 45.52 carat fancy dark grayish blue in color and named after Mr Hope of London, donated by Harry Winston to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. The estimated value of this diamond is about $250 Million.
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Green diamonds breathe a calm vitality into a piece of jewelry, and remind us of the many shades of green found in the plant world. The verdant color of natural green diamonds is due to proximity to a radioactive source during the formation period of about 1 million years. The source of green color can be natural or artificial radiation.
Today, most artificially irradiated diamonds are treated with a low-energy electron beam. While this may sound worrying, we want to set your mind at ease and say that the business of bringing irradiated diamonds to market is heavily regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Green diamonds are not a danger to human health!
The most famous of the Green diamonds is ‘Dresden Green’ which is a 41 Carat, natural green diamond, which has its origin in India. It is a VS1 diamond and is supposed to be potentially internally flawless. It derives its name from, Dresden, New Green Vault at Dresden Castle, where it is displayed.
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Also known lovingly as ‘pumpkin diamonds’, cheery and energetic orange diamonds are eye-catching in every tone ranging from peach to vivid and fiery. Most orange diamonds have red, brown, yellow or pink undertones. In fact, a single-tone pure orange fancy colored diamond is considered extremely rare and fourth or fifth in line after red, violet, pink and blue.
The orange color comes from the presence of Nitrogen (the same element that imparts yellow color to a diamond), arranged in a way that is termed ‘hyper-specific’.. This is done by the absorption of blue and some yellow light resulting in orange color. Most of the orange diamonds we sell come from the Argyle mine in Australia or South Africa.
As with all fancy colored diamonds, if you are looking for a specific shade or hue, a lab-grown diamond or color-treated natural diamond might be the best choice, especially considering the absolute rarity of natural orange diamonds.
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Brown diamonds are the most common fancy colored diamond found on Earth. They have a rich jewelry history going back to the second century, when the Romans used to set them in rings. In more recent history, they were dismissed as unmarketable to jewelers and sold instead as polishing material for industrial use. We have modern advertising geniuses to thank for the resurgence in popularity, simply by rebranding the gems as ‘cognac’, ‘champagne’ and ‘chocolate’ diamonds.
The charming allusion to food and luxury did the trick, and today, brown diamonds are coveted for their earthy and natural look that complements many different skin tones and jewelry settings. Most of the brown diamonds incirculation today come from the Argyle mine in Australia, the very same mine that is home to many of the rarest pink diamonds in the world. Brown diamonds get their beautiful deep rich colors from just a hint of other colors including pink, yellow, and orange.
As with all fancy colored diamonds, if you are looking for a specific shade or hue, a lab-grown diamond or color-treated natural diamond might be the best choice.
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Just like all other fancy colors, a pure purple diamond is very rare. Traditionally a purple diamond is associated with royalty and honor, and only royalty could afford to wear it. Instead of pure purple, they are often found with a mixture of pink, gray or brown. gray or brown, and a secondary color will lower the price. They are often called by their specific hue, such as lavender diamonds, mauve, lilac or plum diamonds. With purple, you might see a diamond described as ‘pinkish, blueish purple’ because of the many variations in tone.
Most of these diamonds come from Argyle Mine in Australia, Siberia and Canada The reason for the purple color is the presence of hydrogen and the ‘plastic deformation’ found in these diamonds which happens when the diamond is getting formed.
One of the most famous purple diamonds is the ‘Royal Purple Heart Diamond’ which is a 7.34-carat diamond believed to be from Russia, graded by GIA as Fancy Vivid and has the distinction of largest purple diamond.
As with all fancy colored diamonds, if you are looking for a specific purple shade or hue, a lab-grown diamond or color-treated natural diamond might be the best choice.
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Red, the timeless color of devotion, ardor, and sensuality. In a diamond, this color is so elusive that it is indeed the rarest of all fancy colored diamonds. Pure red is so rare that the GIA has not graded any red diamond spanning the years 1957 to 1987. It is also said that there are only about 30 pure red diamonds to have been mined in the world.
The source of the color of red diamonds is the same as that of purple, pink and brown diamonds, which is ‘plastic deformation’, a process that occurs at the time of formation of the diamond.
The largest producer of these diamonds was the now-closed Argyle Mine of Australia, also the source of 90% of the world’s pink and other naturally colored diamonds. In the last 30 years of its operational period it is supposed to have produced only about 20 carats of these fancy red diamonds. There is no known replacement mine from which to extract red diamonds, and so they are now even more rare!
The ‘Moussaieff Red’ is the largest fancy red diamond weighing 5.11 carats worth over $20 million
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