What Are Fancy Diamonds?
15 Jan 2007 So – who likes colored diamonds? It seems like it’s the latest craze among jewelry connoisseurs. While they are extremely popular to buy, it’s a good case of “customer beware” when it comes to buying one. Natural colored diamonds are very rare and very expensive, so if someone offers to sell you a natural colored diamond at a very inexpensive price, put on your “customer beware” hat and really look at what you are purchasing. If someone is offering you an in expensive colored diamond, it probably has been “treated” in some manner. While there is nothing wrong with a treated colored diamond, as a consumer, do your research and make sure you know what you are buying. So – how does a colored diamond get treated? There are a few different methods being used today. Amount the most popular are Coatings and High Pressure High Temperature Treatment (HPHT). Coatings – This is taking a diamond with a lot of natural flaws and using a coating to change the color and mask the flaws in t
Fancy diamonds are diamonds which are richly colored, rather than clear or white. True fancy diamonds are rare, and most of the colored diamonds on the market are artificially colored through a variety of laboratory techniques. The value of a fancy diamond can range considerably, depending on the hue and intensity of the diamond, along with the cut and carat weight. The popularity of fancy diamonds for formal jewelry has waxed and waned, although some of the most famous diamonds in the world, such as the Hope Diamond, are fancy diamonds. The unique colors of fancy diamonds are naturally caused by impurities in the stone. The high pressures which diamonds are subjected to while they are forming often admit impurities, which can detract from the price if they only faintly discolor the stone. If the impurities appear in large amounts, however, the diamond will be considered fancy, and can command a very high price, especially if the color is rare. Nitrogen and boron both cause colors to a
There are two interpretations to the term “fancy diamond.” The most common use relates to cut or specific shape of the diamond. Fancy refers to any diamond cut other than round including: marquise, pear, oval, emerald, princess and heart shapes. The second fancy reference is to diamonds that have a prominent body color, such as canary yellow, brown or blue. Some diamond colors are much more rare and valuable than others. For example, diamonds are often found in shades of yellow and brown. But colors such as blue, pink and light green are uncommon. Deep pink is particularly rare.
