Coloured diamonds, also known as “fancy diamonds” in the jewellery trade, come in various rare and captivating colours. These unique colours make them rarer than white diamonds. When choosing a coloured diamond, it’s best to view a video to observe its colour and saturation while in motion.
Shapes like radiant or cushion-cut diamonds display colour tones better than round diamonds. Personal preferences play a significant role, but there is a substantial demand for pink and yellow diamonds, unlike their rarer counterparts: green, purple, orange, and blue diamonds, which are mined less frequently. Regardless of the colour, colored diamonds are exceptional gems that appreciate value over time, making them a unique and valuable investment.
Coloured diamond grading employs a combination of fancy grades and colour descriptions to characterize the unique colour of a diamond. The primary objective of this article is to provide education and insights into various types of diamonds.
What is the GIA description of fancy diamonds?
Diamonds within the normal colour range span from colourless to light yellow and are graded using the D-to-Z colour-grading scale in the industry. On the other hand, fancy color diamonds go beyond the Z range and exhibit colours like yellow and brown or any other hue when viewed face-up. These extraordinary gems come in an enchanting array of colours, with blue, green, pink, and red being particularly noteworthy.
In the D-to-Z range, gem diamonds typically decrease in value as the colour becomes more apparent. In contrast, the value of fancy colour diamonds generally increases with the intensity and purity of their colour. Among these rarities, large, vivid fancy colour diamonds are especially scarce and hold significant value. However, many fancy colour diamonds boast muted or less pure colours, which can also contribute to their uniqueness.
The spectrum of fancy colour diamonds encompasses almost every imaginable hue. Among the most elusive are red, green, purple, and orange, closely followed by pink and blue. While yellows and browns fall on the more common side of fancy colours, they generally possess less value compared to their rarer counterparts. If you want to explore more about the GIA diamond color chart visit https://www.gia.edu/fancy-color-diamond-quality-factor
Now that you have got a brief idea about fancy diamonds, let us explore their types in the next segment.
- Commonly Used Fancy Colors
- Fancy Yellow Diamonds
Yellow diamonds are the most prevalent and beloved among Fancy Color Diamonds, accounting for nearly 60% of their total. Despite their higher abundance, yellow diamonds remain exceptionally rare and sought-after. Like orange diamonds, the mesmerizing yellow hue is attributed to a saturation of nitrogen within the diamond, altering the passage of light by absorbing blue light. The captivating spectrum of yellow diamonds spans from delicate lemon tones to vibrant canary shades, offering a diverse range of stunning colours to enchant any admirer.
- Fancy Pink Diamonds
Orange and yellow diamonds contain nitrogen, blue diamonds contain boron, and pink diamonds consist solely of carbon. The origin of their rosy colour was a mystery for a long time, but scientists now attribute it to the diamond’s light-absorbing properties. This anomaly arises from stress deformations during the diamond’s growth, making pink diamonds incredibly rare, comprising less than 1% of the world’s diamonds. Remember, when it comes to buying loose diamonds, pink diamonds hold paramount significance.
2. Rarely Found Fancy Color Diamonds
- Fancy Red Diamonds
Among Fancy Color Diamonds, the rarest and most coveted hues include red, green, blue, orange, and purple. Red diamonds owe their mesmerizing colour to the immense pressure and stress they endure during their formation, leading to a deformation in the crystal lattice structure and displacement of atoms. These exquisite candy apple-coloured gems are exceptionally rare, highly valuable, and among the most sought-after of all fancy diamonds.
- Fancy Blue Diamonds
Equally rare are the fancy blue diamonds! They can be categorized into two types: Type IIb and Type Ia. The majority of the world’s blue diamonds belong to Type IIb and owe their captivating colour to the presence of boron within the carbon lattice, enabling electricity to pass through the stone. These exceptional diamonds represent a mere 0.1% of all mined diamonds. On the other hand, Type Ia blue diamonds, infused with hydrogen, are even rarer, accounting for an even smaller fraction of the world’s blue diamonds.
c. Fancy Green Diamonds
Green diamonds are a rarity, holding exceptional value in the world of gems. Their envy-inducing colour is a result of harmless, natural radiation that the diamond experiences deep within the Earth over millions of years. Alpha radiation gives rise to a lighter green hue, while beta and gamma radiation create a deeper, richer green shade. This radiation displaces the carbon molecules within the diamond, altering the way light passes through the stone, resulting in its captivating green colour.