When we think of diamonds, classic diamond that comes to mind is completely colorless. In fact, you can find diamonds of any color, from completely transparent to almost black, with any color in between. Colored or fancy diamonds can be used to make a statement or add glamor to jewelry. And unlike white diamonds, higher saturation, more valuable diamond.
How rare are colored diamonds?The vast majority of diamonds mined around world are considered colorless, even if they have a tint of yellow. Because yellow is so common among colorless diamonds, yellow and brown diamonds make up majority of colored diamonds.
Natural colored diamonds usually have a lighter hue and saturation. Typically, only one out of every 10,000 carats mined is a true colored diamond. Natural colored diamonds with medium to dark hues are even rarer, often resulting in higher costs!
Where do colored diamonds come from?The most famous sources of colored diamonds are India, South Africa and Australia. However, they have been found in Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana and Indonesia. Various mines around world can produce more colored diamonds due to composition of nearby rocks and soil.
Fun fact: These near-Earth components play a role in forming chemical impurities that often give diamonds their color!
What are most popular colored diamond colors? yellow diamond
Yellow diamonds can range in color from dark brown to bright yellow. The most sought-after yellow diamonds are known as canary diamonds because their vibrant hue resembles that of canary bird of same name. Brighter yellows generally have a higher value than darker yellows. Yellow diamonds are formed when trace amounts of nitrogen are present in a diamond and can contain as little as 0.10% nitrogen to show an impressive hue!
blue diamond
The color of blue diamonds is due to impurities of boron, and its color is due to effect of hydrogen or radiation. Green-blue diamonds are formed by action of radiation, and hydrogen gives gray-violet or gray-blue diamonds. One of most famous blue diamonds of all time is Hope Diamond, which is valued at around $300 million. However, most of value comes from fact that this is a famous diamond with a legendary story!
red and pink diamonds
Natural red and pink diamonds are rarest of all colored diamonds. At moment, gemologists have not figured out what causes red diamonds to appear, and their best guess is a defect in atomic structure. They are so rare that only 20 or 30 real red diamonds have been found!
orange diamond
Like yellow diamonds, orange diamonds get their color from nitrogen. However, to produce orange diamonds, atoms must be arranged in a certain way, which makes them very rare. In fact, to date, only mines in Australia and Africa have ever produced orange diamonds!
greenToo rare for photos
Green diamonds are so rare that most experts scrutinize them to make sure they really come from earth and not created in a lab! Most green diamonds get their color from natural radiation of rocks around them. Usually only outer or surface part of a diamond is green, and color rarely reaches center of diamond. If you happen to own a natural green diamond, be careful when polishing it so it doesn't lose its color!
So, in terms of preliminary finds, red diamonds are rarest and therefore most expensive diamond! But pure red diamonds almost do not exist. The most famous red diamond is Moussaieff Red Diamond, a pure red diamond weighing 5.11 carats.
Like any stone, rarer and larger it is, more expensive it is. This is why larger colored diamonds like Pink Star diamond can be worth so much money.
I've learned a lot from you. What color do you like?