In the modern world, people are looking for modern jewelry. Gone are those days when the colorless diamond was the only diamond that was the acclaimed centerstone for the engagement ring. Today, wedding brides are seeking more explicit colors in their diamonds to add a sentimental value to their jewelry.
Yes, and we would like to brief you about color diamonds in this section. Colored diamonds are those diamonds that don’t fall in the usual diamond color grading scale of D to Z. They are graded using a separate system, very similar to the one that is followed for white diamonds.
What is a fancy colored diamond?
A fancy colored diamond is any diamond that differs variantly from the occasional traditional diamond which is colorless and pure. These diamonds come in different colors, exhibiting yellow, brown, pink, blue, and other shades.
A diamond gets its color during the formation process. Based on the type of particles that are accumulated in the diamond and on conditions such as temperature, pressure, stress etc, a diamond gets its contrasting color. As we all know, in most cases, the conditions work in such a manner that a diamond retains its white color. But rare cases occur where diamonds undergo different conditions to get their acclaimed colors.
For instance, a pink diamond gets its color as a result of the stress that it undergoes when its interior plains of carbon atoms are displaced within the diamond crystal. Whereas in the case of a yellow diamond, the yellow color occurs because of the presence of nitrogen atoms which substitute the carbon in the diamond crystal lattice. These chemical deposits and substitutions result in different colors being absorbed and transmitted through the diamond.
Grading fancy color diamonds
The process of grading a fancy colored diamond is quite a complex process and requires the expertise and experience of a highly skilled grader. That is why you always need to look for a GIA certified grading when choosing the color of a diamond. When grading a fancy color diamond the GIA takes in factors such as the depth of color, intensity and hue of the color, saturation and other factors.
Based on the rarity and value of fancy colored diamonds, the GIA has fixed a diamond color scale. They are of the order faint, very light, light, fancy light, fancy intense, fancy vivid, fancy dark, and fancy deep.
Yellow and brown colored diamonds
When you’re talking about fancy color diamonds, the most popular and most abundant color diamonds are the yellow and brown diamonds. By now we know that the yellow color is caused by the nitrogen atoms that are ingrained in the diamond crystal. Yes, and more the number of nitrogen atoms, the more yellow the diamond becomes and the more value which is yielded to it. In the normal diamond color chart we might find that a tinge of yellow or brown degrades the diamond’s value. But when the intensity of yellow is too high, the diamond’s value increases in contrast. The most common occurrences are a greenish yellow and orange yellow.
People love the pure yellow color of the diamond for the fire and brilliance of these diamonds and they love to showcase them on engagement rings. There is also a rising demand for orange yellow, which is the perfect contrast for modern engagement rings. The second popular and abundant color is brown. Brown diamonds have been used in rings since the second century where the Romans adorned the beauty of these diamonds. It was the Australians that first started setting them in jewelry, introducing them as a fashion statement. Today you will find brown diamonds of all shapes and sizes in engagement rings.
Rare fancy color diamonds
Diamonds that come in saturated pinks, greens, and blues, are very valuable since they are rare and do not always occur. Well, research and close observation tell us that these colored diamonds are found once in every 10,000 diamonds. The value of these fancy color diamonds increases with the increase in depth of color, saturation, hue, intensity, and other factors. If you spot a red or a blue diamond with the medium to dark tone, that is an extremely rare piece. The pure pink diamond is also a very popular choice and can come under the category of rose color diamonds.
The blue diamond which is an equivalent of the sapphire is also a popular choice for modern day engagement rings, and you can use accent stones to garner the appearance of your ring. There is also an option to go for fancy green diamonds. Green diamonds typically come in light tones and low saturation. The hue is confined to the surface and you won’t find the greenish color in the entire stone. Because of the rarity of these diamonds, green diamonds are closely observed by gemologists in laboratories to certify whether they are real or not.