Choosing Colored Diamonds – Fancy Diamonds April 26, 2006
Posted by Jill Renee in : Buying Engagement Rings, Diamond Jewelry, Diamonds, Jewelry , trackbackIf you have been thinking about and wishing for a beautiful colored diamond read this article first! Colored diamonds are the next big trend in jewelry design. The spectrum of colors is as big as your imagination. Choosing what’s right for you can be overwhelming in today’s diamond market. This article will address a few important factors to consider when buying a colored diamond for yourself or a loved one. It is important to know the difference between colored diamonds that are formed naturally and ones that are man-made.
Natural colored diamonds are very rare and fetch very high prices. Colored diamonds that are formed in the earth by nature come from three sources. The first method is when a foreign element is introduced to the carbon material that a diamond is made from. For example nitrogen can cause a diamond to have yellow or orange hues while boron can make it blue. The second method by which diamonds get color is when pressure compresses the carbon and creates a red, pink or purple hue. Lastly, natural radiation deep in the earth generates diamonds with colors of green or blue. Green, red and purple diamonds are considered very rare and command huge prices. Indeed there are only six naturally formed red diamonds currently in the market. One can only imagine the prices these stones will fetch. Natural colored diamonds are so rare that there exist at least 10,000 colorless stones for each stone with color.
Colored diamonds can also be made in labs. There are a variety of methods used to color diamonds. Some of these stones are purely synthetic, meaning they were totally created in a lab. They are formed from carbon just like the real thing. However, these stones can be formed in a matter of weeks where as it takes thousands of years for natural diamonds to be formed. These type of synthetic diamonds are so similar to the real thing that only high tech equipment that can detect subtle differences in the crystal formations within the stone can detect that their fake.
Another man made method to produce colored diamonds requires a natural diamond that possesses an unattractive color. These stones are irradiated. Irradiation is a process in which a diamond is exposed to a source of radiation which will change the position of atoms within the stone, which will cause its color to change.
Treated or synthetic diamonds may look very appealing to the consumer because of the price and uniformity of color; however, these diamonds have no value to the serious buyer and have little resale value. Therefore, if you are purchasing a colored diamond for investment it is vital to obtain certification from the diamond seller. The certificate should come from a reputable laboratory and contain the origin of the stone and the natural origin of the stones color.
Grading colored diamonds presents another set of unique issues for the buyer. Colorless diamonds are graded on the 4 C’s: Cut, Carat, Clarity and Color. Colored diamonds are also valued based upon the 4 C’s but another factor weighs most heavily on the value of a colored diamond. This factor is based upon the hue and rarity of the color. Indeed a rare color of diamond will garner a much higher price than a colorless stone of many more carats. Colored diamonds have three characteristics by which they are graded. These are hue, tone and saturation. Hue refers to the dominant color of the stone, tone refers to the light within the stone and saturation refers to the intensity of the hue. Be sure to look for these factors in the diamond certificate.
Having knowledge about the differences between natural and synthetic colored diamonds will help you to choose the diamond that’s right for you. One thing is certain in today’s marketplace jewelry designer’s are using colored diamonds to create beautiful and unique designs that consumers will want to own.
Comments»
I am also fond of Fancy diamonds.Thanks lot of for published post about Fancy Diamonds…!!!
Thanks again…!!!