Ask J. Shea

Is There Really Such a Thing as Colored Diamonds?

As buyers, we spend a lot of time evaluating a diamond's lack of color. It's a desirable trait that drives demand–and diamond prices–upwards. But on the other end of the spectrum is another group of diamonds, ones we want to be colorful. Fancy color diamonds exist in a rainbow of vivid hues–yellows, reds, pinks, blues, greens, purples, and shades in-between. Natural fancy color diamonds get their coloring in different ways:

• From different trace elements present in the stones, such as nitrogen, which produces a yellow diamond.
• From exposure to radiation during the diamond's creation. Green diamonds are an example of gems affected by radiation.
• Inclusions, regarded as undesirable in a colorless stone, often contribute unique tones and interesting flashes of color in a fancy color diamond.


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