What is the first thing that comes to your mind when someone mentions colored gemstones?
If you are like most people then you will probably imagine a garnet, a jadeite or maybe a tanzanite.
This is quite natural for people who are not part of the gemstone and/or jewelry industry.
When it comes to the latter, most experts would think about colored diamonds.
The vast majority of people are unaware of the fact that diamonds are available in many different colors, not just the standard transparent version. The transparent diamonds are also known as white diamonds.
But, the fact is that there are some incredibly beautiful diamonds that have striking colors.
Colored Diamonds – A Basic Guide
For starters, the most popular colored diamonds are completely natural.
In other words, they had the same color when they were mined (before they were polished).
This means that they were not modified or treated to boost the color and hue.
A natural diamond is a diamond that has a certificate issued by a reputable gemological laboratory to confirm that.
It’s good to point out that less than 1% of all diamonds in the world are colored diamonds.
Colored diamonds can contain one primary color, but they can be naturally modified with another hue or even a few hues.
Colored diamonds that were not treated or modified are usually measured on a different color scale compared to white diamonds.
They are usually graded in this way – fancy vivid, fancy deep, fancy intense, fancy dark, fancy, fancy light, light, very light and faint. Obviously, the first one on the list has the highest value.
The most common natural colored diamonds are the yellow diamonds.
They come in this color due to the presence of nitrogen situated in the carbon lattice. If you want to read more about yellow rings, see this guide.
Yellow Diamond
Furthermore, there are pink diamonds.
They are generated through the natural process known as plastic deformation of the crystals.
Back in 1985, the mining industry has discovered the Argyle Mine in Australia and ever since then pink diamonds have become more common.
There are many famous pink diamonds today and some of them are worth millions of dollars.
Pink Diamond
Next on the list are the orange diamonds.
These rare diamonds have this unique color thanks to the nitrogen present in the crystal lattice and the flaws found in this part of the diamond.
Orange is a mixture of red and yellow and that’s why orange diamonds come in different hues including yellow orange and red orange.
Orange DIamond
The blue diamonds are rare colored diamonds that get their color from boron, a chemical element created by cosmic ray spallation.
The Hope Diamond is the most popular blue diamond and weighs 45.5 carats. Here is what we have to say about blue diamond rings.
Blue Diamond
Another rare form of colored diamonds is the purple diamonds.
It is almost impossible to find true purple diamonds.
They get their color thanks to the presence of high levels of hydrogen in their structure.
The majority of natural purple diamonds have a pink hue.
They are usually smaller than 2 carats and most of them are cut as round brilliants.
Purple Diamond
Next on the list is the green diamonds.
These diamonds are formed from exposure to high levels of radiation, but we are talking about natural radiation in the soil caused by uranium ore.
As a result of the specific way of formation, these diamonds have color only on the surface.
Green Diamond
One of the most beautiful are red diamonds which are probably the rarest of all colored diamonds.
They are created in the same way as pink diamonds.
What’s interesting is that there are just a few fancy red diamonds in the world.
Red Diamond
Finally, there are black diamonds or you can also find them as fancy black diamonds, which are top choice of many.
In the past, only royalty could’ve afforded to buy and give black diamond rings, but luckily today that’s not the case.
Namely, black diamonds are often linked to authority and power.
Black Diamond
So, natural colored diamonds are available in a wide array of colors and hues. People who like colored gemstones, usually opt for diamond alternatives, but if you are able to pay more, it would be a smart choice to opt for colored diamonds.
While we are analyzing colored diamonds, we should mention the color treated diamonds. They represent natural diamonds that were enhanced with specific colors. Many jewelers use this method (high pressure high temperature) to increase the price of ordinary diamonds. It’s important to understand that they are not lab-grown diamonds.
Hopefully, this short guide has helped you learned more about colored diamonds and their uniqueness.