Definition
Fancy colored diamonds are those with yellow or brown colors that are more vivid than "Z," as well as those with colors other than yellow or brown. These diamonds are graded according to several methods that reflect the color's properties rather than merely its existence. These color grading methods resemble those used for other colored gemstones more than the one used for white diamonds, such as rubies, sapphires, or emeralds.
"Fancy color" diamonds are those whose saturation levels exceed this range. Except for Light Yellow and Light Brown, any light hue of diamond instantly tipped the scales. For instance, a light blue diamond will receive a Faint Blue, extremely Light Blue, or Light Blue color grade rather than a "K," "N," or "S" color grade.
For colored gems and diamonds, laboratories use a list of 27 color hues that cover the entire spectrum (Red, Orangish-Red, Reddish-Orange, orange, Yellowish-Orange, Yellow-Orange, Orange-Yellow, Orangish-Yellow, Yellow, Greenish-Yellow, Green-Yellow, Yellow-Green, Yellowish-Green, Green, Bluish-Green, Blue-Green, Green-Blue, Greenish-Blue, Blue, Violetish-Blue, Bluish-Violet, Violet, Purple, Reddish-Purple, Red-Purple, Purple-Red, Purplish-Red). For stones lacking the purest colours, a modifying color combination (such as Olive or Brown-Olive) can also be applied. In addition, the following hues are employed for diamonds: White (which is milky), Black (which is opaque), Gray, Pink, and Brown.
Then, one of nine descriptors - Faint, Very Light, Light, Fancy Light, Fancy, Fancy Dark, Fancy Intense, Fancy Deep, or Fancy Vivid is used to define the saturation of these colours.
There are several kinds of brown diamonds, and they are referred to as "Champagne," "Cognac," and "Coffee." The term "Brown" is regarded as a killer as far as diamond value is concerned in the processing and trading of diamonds. Champagne diamonds are Light Brown in color, despite the fact that champagne is a light yellow hue. Cognac is a rich golden-orange beverage, and is frequently used to describe diamonds that are orangish-brown. A deep brown or vivid brown diamond is typically referred to as coffee. Brown stones may also be referred to as fancy yellowish-brown, fancy light brown, fancy intense brown, etc. by some grading organizations.
Varieties of Natural Color diamonds
Pink Diamonds
However, pink diamonds are a another matter. Pink diamonds have never contained trace elements. Instead, once the stone was formed in the ground, extreme heat and high pressure from all sides (non-isotropic stress) induced a distortion in the diamond's crystal lattice, which is what gives the stone its color.
Pink is a shade of pale red. However, pink is recognized as a colour in diamonds by gemological laboratories. A pink diamond may have secondary colours of brown, orange, yellow, and purple. Brown secondary colors, which are the most prevalent, typically have the lowest value.
Have a look at the color charts.
Blue Diamonds
The mineral diamond shows all of its natural qualities, with the addition of a blue tint, making blue diamond a special sort of diamond. Because of boron contamination in the crystalline lattice, they are tinted blue. Type IIb diamonds, sometimes referred to as blue diamonds, get their hue from trace amounts of boron. According to the study, blue diamonds come from the lower mantle of the Earth at depths of at least 660 km.
The color of blue diamonds can range from pale blue to deep blue, and they frequently have a secondary tint like violet, gray, or green.
Purple Diamonds
Due to the existence of an impurity or inclusion at the time the diamond stone was formed, purple diamonds acquired their color. The stone becomes purple when significant concentrations of boron and hydrogen interact with it.
A pure purple diamond is fairly difficult to find, even if they are not as rare as other colors of diamonds, such as red, pink, or blue. Most purple diamonds are discovered with overtones of pink, brown, grey, or blue.
Pink or another modifying tint makes purple stones less costly than "pure" purple stones.
Violet Diamonds
The purple diamond family includes the exceedingly uncommon violet diamonds. It is known that the color is a mixture of blue and purple diamonds.
Although their color is connected to hydrogen, nothing is known about how exactly colors are created, which adds to their mystique. Typically, violet diamonds are smaller in size.
The violet tones of lavender, grape, and cornflower are among of the most stunning hues in the color diamond spectrum.
Red Diamonds
The rarest kind of colored diamonds is red ones. Only a few of diamonds with a pure red colour are discovered globally every year. The East Kimberley region of Western Australia's Argyle mine, which is slated to close in 2020, has been the main source of those red diamonds. Most red diamonds exhibit red color because to gliding planes in the diamond crystal along which carbon atoms have slightly been displaced.
Most diamond specialists agree that the lattice flaw in the diamond that exhibits stress lamination throughout the creation process is what causes the red color. Beautiful red colours appear as light bends as it travels through the diamond's distorted structure.
Diamonds with an altered red tint are a little less uncommon. The hues of brown, purple, and orange can be modified. These give rise to brownish-red, purplish-red, and orange-red diamonds.
Green Diamonds
Natural-color green stones with intense colors are among of the rarest and most expensive fancy-color diamonds. These diamonds either have straightforward structural flaws brought on by radiation exposure, or they have flaws that are more intricate and involve nitrogen, hydrogen, or nickel impurities.
Pale green, yellowish green, gray-blue green, and brilliant green are all shades of the color green that may be found in diamonds.
Yellow Diamonds
Nitrogen is integrated into the carbon crystal structure of yellow diamonds. Because they alter light and absorb the blue portion of the visible spectrum, these nitrogen impurities give diamonds their characteristic yellow hue.
Brown, orange, or green secondary color overtones can be seen in yellow diamonds. Sometimes they may occur in a combination of two or three different color overtones. Green and orange are the secondary colors that are most frequently found in fancy yellow diamonds.
Have a look at the color charts.
Orange Diamonds
The nitrogen impurities that are absorbed into the diamond lattice during development deep in the ground give orange diamonds their hue. Due to its abundance in the growing environment deep down, nitrogen is the contaminant that is most frequently found in diamonds.
'Pumpkin diamonds' are names given to pure orange diamonds. Diamonds that have a secondary tint of orange that is less than 25% saturated are referred to as "orangy" diamonds. The predominant colors are frequently pink, yellow, brown, and sporadically red.
Grey Diamonds
The production of gray diamonds is thought to occur when hydrogen or barium concentrations are elevated during the formation process. Different shades and intensities of gray are produced as a result of the stone's contact with various substances, which alters its structure and color.
Secondary colours, most frequently green, brown, blue, or violet, can also be seen in gray diamonds. The secondary colors of blue, violet, and green are the most aesthetically pleasing and complementing, making them the most valued.
Brown Diamonds
When pressure and heat under the earth's surface force the crystal lattice to deform, a brown color results. Due to this distortion, the diamonds absorb a range of wavelengths that lean toward the blue spectrum, giving them a brown hue.
Natural brown diamonds come in a variety of colors, from light brown with a yellow undertone to deep brown with an orange undertone. Jewelers sometimes use their own descriptors for marketing as brown diamonds are still a relatively new product on the market.
Cognac Diamonds
A champagne diamond with a dark brown color may be called a cognac diamond. Champagne diamonds have subtle red, pink, gold, or brown hints. When carbon atoms combine with hydrogen or nitrogen during the formation of the stone in the earth, cognac diamonds get their deep, brown hue.
Brown diamonds are also known as cognac diamonds. However, cognac diamonds are regarded as darker and deeper browns and come with a rich orange hue in them, in contrast to champagne diamonds, which have a hint of yellow in them.
Black Diamonds
The hue of a genuine black diamond is the consequence of many inclusions. These inclusions primarily consist of graphite. The majority of these dark inclusions make natural black diamonds opaque, which makes them opaque. Additionally, the diamonds are very brittle and challenging to cut due to the high inclusion levels, making them challenging to polish and finish.
Natural Black diamonds are very rare and have occasionally come to Earth as meteorites, which adds to their enigmatic appeal. Black diamonds may be immensely striking despite not being transparent and not exhibiting fire the way colorless and other colored diamonds do. Black diamonds can include white or gray inclusions.
Treatments in Diamonds
Irradiation
Irradiation is one of the most popular methods for increasing a diamond's color. This procedure includes subjecting the diamond to radiation with a high intensity, which alters the diamond's color and yields reasonably priced fancy colored diamonds. Different hues of blue and green are the colors that are most frequently created by irradiation. Although irradiated diamonds might have amazing aesthetic appeal, some purchasers might be hesitant to acquire them because they are worried about radiation exposure.
The high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) treatment of diamonds is another well-liked technique for improving them. In order to change the diamond's color, this entails putting it in a chamber with intense heat and pressure. Although the HPHT technique might result in diamonds with richer color than their natural counterparts, some consumers might be leery of the procedure because they wonder if the diamond is truly genuine.
HPHT
The high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) treatment of diamonds is another well-liked technique for improving them. In order to change the diamond's color, this entails putting it in a chamber with intense heat and pressure. Although the HPHT technique might result in diamonds with richer color than their natural counterparts, some consumers might be leery of the procedure because they wonder if the diamond is truly genuine.
Origins
The most well-known historical and modern sources of fancy color diamonds are South Africa, Australia, and India. Fancy color diamonds are also produced at other diamond mines in Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana, and Indonesia.