Colored Diamonds Information
If you have seen the movie Titanic, I am sure you still have not forgotten the beautiful blue diamond that Kate Winslet throws in the ocean in the end. Yes! That's the kind of awe and appeal that colored diamonds evoke. One look at them and you will never ever be able to get over their uniqueness and beauty! To add further to their appeal is the fact that colored diamonds are extremely rare. According to the estimates, if ten thousand carats of diamond are mined, out of it, only about one carat is colored! The following Buzzle article brings forth some more interesting information on colored diamonds. Scroll down and have a look...
Clear and Colored Diamonds - The Difference
Most of the diamonds appear to be colorless on the surface. Although, if one looks carefully, they may have undertones of some other colors like yellow and brown. This usually takes place when other elements get integrated into their atomic structure, when diamonds are getting formed. Thus, when it comes to clear diamonds, the more colorless they are, the higher is their grading and thus, the more expensive and rare they are considered to be. The grading of the clear diamonds starts from D, E, F and goes up to S-Z, with D being the most clear, rare and expensive. However, this grading does not work in case of the colored diamonds. They are completely different from the clear diamonds and in fact, come in well-defined "fancy" colors, like, blue, red, yellow, orange, green, purple and pink. These diamonds are considered rarer than rare and are thus, priced much higher than any clear diamond.
Grading
According to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the grading is not done in alphabets. Instead, colored diamonds are graded in categories mentioned below, with "faint" being the lowest grade and "fancy vivid" being the highest.
- Faint
- Very Light
- Fancy Light
- Fancy
- Fancy Intense
- Fancy Deep
- Fancy Vivid
Blue and Red Diamonds
The blue and the red diamonds are considered to be the most rare and expensive ones amongst the fancy colored diamonds. The blue color that a diamond gets is due to the presence of boron in it. Blue diamonds are mined in Australia and South Africa. Red diamonds on the other hand, get their color from nitrogen. They are mined in Australia too. It is believed that at present only fifty red diamonds are there in the world!
Pink and Yellow Diamonds
If you look popularity-wise, pink diamonds win hands down, with so many celebrities supporting these rare pieces in jewelry. As pink diamonds are mined in Brazil, Australia and South Africa, their supply is comparatively better than red and blue diamonds, thus adding on to their popularity. Similarly, yellow diamonds, which are slightly lesser priced and affordable, compared to other fancy colored diamonds and which look very good with white gold and white diamond, are high in demand too, in the jewelry making industry. Yellow diamonds are mined mainly in South America and South Africa, though they are available in most of the diamond producing countries.
Orange and Brown Diamonds
The orange diamond gets its color from nitrogen and carbon lattice. An orange diamond usually gives hues of various other colors, such as, pink, red, yellow, purple and orange, of course. Sometimes, orange diamonds may need to be synthetically enhanced to upgrade their quality. Then, there are the brown diamonds, which are the least popular amongst the colored diamonds. However, in the brown diamonds category, those marketed as "cognac" are gaining huge in terms of popularity, at present.
Carat, Clarity, Cut and Shape of Colored Diamonds
Carat weight is a huge determinant of the fancy colored diamonds' price, with large diamonds costing more than the smaller ones. Clarity is not such a big factor when determining the value of a fancy colored diamond. After the color, it is the cut and the shape of a colored diamond, which can actually enhance the beauty of its color, that determines its value.
Here's hoping that you found this trivia on colored diamonds interesting. In the end, it is advised that whether you are buying a fancy colored diamond as a jewelry piece or as an investment, always make sure that it has all the necessary certifications and is graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
