Diamonds…..Myth, Magic & Reality

The Beautiful World of Fancy Colored Diamonds

Quick, name a famous diamond…most likely, you thought of the Hope Diamond. Maybe if you’re more current with the headlines you thought of the 6 ct Pink Emerald cut on J Llo’s hand given to her by Ben Affleck. When people think of famous diamonds they think of color.

Diamond is the only gemstone that comes in every color of the rainbow. Compared to a white diamond, a “Fancy Colored Diamond” is the rarest of the rare. Nearly one hundred tons of rock needs be excavated to unearth a 1 Carat White diamond. A fancy color diamond requires 100 times greater amount of digging.

Harvey Harris put it best; “From the moment mankind put a price on rarity-never has so much been spent by so many for something so small.”

The two known causes of color in diamonds are an atomic impurity in the diamond’s content and defects in its atomic structure. While both of these factors do not affect a diamond’s durability, these distinct characteristics cause a diamond to take on the attributes of specific colors of the rainbow, purely at the whim of nature.

Yellow is the most common fancy color and is caused by the presence of Nitrogen. In the past, a yellow diamond was referred to as a ‘Canary”. Unfortunately, this term “Canary”, did not describe the level of color saturation in the stone. Today we use a range of five grades, established by the Gemological Institute of America, to describe the level of color saturation in any fancy color diamond. These terms: Faint, Light, Fancy, Intense and Vivid now give us a frame of reference when grading a fancy colored diamond.

Blue diamonds contain the element “ Boron” with virtually no other impurities. The Heart Shaped “Hope” Diamond, at 45.52 carats, is certainly the most famous diamond in the world. Stories and legends have grown around it for hundreds of years. Whole books have been written about it.

Red diamonds, truly the rarest of the rare, are caused by lattice defects due to stress lamination. Very scientific terms to describe indescribable beauty. There is no diamond found which commands a higher price per carat then a Red diamond.

Pink diamonds are of similar nature to the Red. Yet, they are not quite as rare. Making them the perfect fancy color diamond for a magnificent piece of jewelry.

Orange diamonds are not only extremely rare and valuable, but science cannot explain why these stones are orange. How’s that for adding mystery and lore?

Greens, violets, browns, and even purples……..any color you can dream of.

While “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”, fancy colors touch the artist in all of us.