Colored Diamonds
Diamonds are currently mined in approximately 25 countries as they are extremely sought after. Historically the virtues and value of diamonds have been extolled by monarchies, religions, rich and poor laymen, smugglers and thieves. They combine beauty and durability and can be crafted into sparkling jewelry, which has excited mankind for thousands of years.
Colored diamonds are especially attractive and rare. They have been loved and desired by men and women in many diverse cultures. Different cultures and sects valued different colors. Some associated colored diamonds with love or a mystical quality. Colored diamonds are also called fancy diamonds. Colored diamonds come in all the rainbow colors of pink, purple, violet, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. There is a huge diversity of colored diamonds which cover the whole color spectrum. Color is the first thing buyers look at when purchasing a diamond. It is easier to see the color if the diamond is large or is not mounted in a setting. Colored diamonds are graded by a gemmological laboratory, who certifies them as natural stones. Recognised reputable laboratories are GIA, EGL or HRD. They certify the colored diamonds with a record of their identification numbers, and many other aspects of the colored diamonds are recorded.
Natural, Manmade and Treated Colored Diamonds
Natural colored diamonds: All diamonds are a hard crystallised form of carbon. Natural diamonds form over millions of years by intense heat and pressure deep within the earth’s mantle. Three different natural processes can result in different colored diamonds.1) When they are forming the presence of natural elements can affect the colors. For example nitrogen can result in yellow or orange diamonds. The addition of boron can result in a blue diamonds. The presence of hydrogen precipitates violet diamonds. 2) If the carbon is compressed under extreme pressure the result can be purple, pink, red or brown colored diamonds. 3) Exposure to natural radiation can result in green or blue diamonds. We can mine natural diamonds as they have been forced up by volcanic pressure through a vent in the earth’s surface. They are in molten magma called either kimberlite or lamproite. Natural colored diamonds are very rare and expensive. There is one colored diamond to 10,000 colorless diamonds. Red, green and blue are the rarest colored diamonds. They are more valuable if they are one colour and have no other hues mixed in them.
Manmade synthetic colored diamonds: These are formed much more quickly in a laboratory over weeks as opposed to the natural diamonds taking millions of years. They are the same carbon composition as natural diamonds but they are colored uniformly throughout the stones. It is impossible to tell if they are natural without examining their structure with special equipment in a gemmological laboratory designed to detect the structural differences. Manmade colored diamonds are appealing because of their flawless, even color and their cheaper prices. But their investment and resale value can be negligible.
Treated diamonds: Treating natural diamonds is another method to produce colored diamonds. Irradiation is the most common treatment used to enhance the colors of natural diamonds. They are then called enhanced colored diamonds or enhanced fancy diamonds.
