The reason fancy colored diamonds are fancies is most often the result of nitrogen and boron impurities. Occasionally the color of a diamond is the result of structural defects within the diamond crystal.
The presence of dispersed nitrogen within a diamond may cause the diamond to exhibit a yellow color. The presence of boron may cause the diamond to be blue in color, like the Hope diamond.
Pink, red, and purple colored diamonds are believed to result from pink graining (lamellae) or deformation of the diamond structure. That results in pink coloration in what would otherwise be a colorless diamond.
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Fancy Green Colored Diamonds:
It is believed that most green diamonds are green because of natural irradiation or hydrogen impurities. Black diamonds are colored by the presence of an abundance of graphite inclusions.
Fancy colored diamonds are always cut to compliment the color's depth and not necessarily visual performance. Thus the concept of "ideal proportions" can not be assigned to diamonds of fancy colors and intensities.
Fancy colored diamonds are valued by carat weight, clarity, and the depth or intensity of color. In that case, the proportions are not a selection factor with fancy color diamonds.
How to Describe Fancy Colors by Intensity:
The intensity of hue and saturation describes fancy colored diamonds. Deeper intensities and concentrations of color make the diamond more valuable and rare.
How evenly distributed the color is throughout the diamond is also taken into account. Here are the terms commonly used to describe the intensity of color in fancies:
Types of Colored Diamonds:
At present, there are three types of fancy colored diamonds available in the open market:
- 1Natural, untreated fancy color diamonds.
- 2Natural, treated/irradiated colored diamonds.
- 3Lab-grown and/or Lab-created colored diamonds.
It is perfectly natural to decide that a "natural, untreated fancy colored diamond" is the only option worth considering. However, it is also important to keep in mind that fancy colors' rare nature can make them quite expensive.
Falling in love with a natural fancy blue-color diamond's depth and beauty can be an expensive endeavor given that prices start in the range of one-hundred thousand dollars per carat for visibly included qualities.
Believe me; it can be a real eye-opener for people who are just beginning to familiarize themselves with fancy color prices. Check out the price of this fancy pink, deep purple color diamond from Blue Nile.
Natural, treated, and lab-grown fancy colored diamonds provide consumers outside the Hollywood realm with access to "the look" for a more reasonable price.
However, those options also have their downsides because the color might fade over time, and there have been stability issues with lab-grown diamonds.
The Best Places to Buy Fancy Colored Diamonds:
There are many places to buy fancies online. However, there are only a few vendors who truly specialize in the niche:
Of course, I'm happy to help you search and evaluate the details. Just send me a request using our free Diamond Concierge Service.
Please provide me with the details of the color range you are looking for and the price range you are working with. If you already have a few options in mind, send me links to the diamond details pages.
Violet Colored Argyle Diamond Uncovered by Rio Tinto:
You might be interested to know that diamonds come in practically every color of the rainbow. For example, this extremely rare violet diamond was unveiled by the Rio Tinto mining group. This 2.83 carat, oval brilliant cut, violet diamond is from the Argyle Diamond Mine in Western Australia.
This is the largest such diamond ever recovered from the Argyle mine. The diamond is known as The Argyle Violet. The GIA Gem Trade Laboratory graded it as a notable diamond with Fancy Deep Greyish-Bluish-Violet's color grade.
This extremely rare violet diamond will make a fabulous centerpiece at the 2016 Argyle Pink Diamond Tender. That is the annual showcase of the rarest diamonds recovered from the Argyle mine.
Rare Argyle Violet Diamond:
The Argyle mine is well known as the source for more than 90% of the world's rare pink diamonds. It also happens to be the only known source for violet diamonds which are rich in color.
Violet diamonds are so rare that the Argyle mine has produced only 12 carats of violet diamonds in the past 32 years.
The Argyle Violet weighs 2.83 carats, and the 9.17 rough diamond rough was unearthed in 2015. Richard How Kim Kam cut it and is one of Argyle's master diamond polishers.