When we think about diamonds, we usually think about a white or colorless sparkling stone that has been around for thousands of years. However, diamonds can come in every color imaginable, from stunning blue diamonds to super rare natural pink diamonds. In this short article, we’ll dive a little deeper into these beautiful colored diamonds that will take your jewelry collection to the next level!

The Formation Of Diamonds

Diamonds were formed millions or even billions of years ago way down deep within the earth’s crust, under intense heat and pressure, and then spewed to the earth’s surface by volcanic eruptions. As the diamonds are forming, they are exposed to different trace elements which can alter their structure, thereby changing a white diamond into a colored diamond. Diamonds come in every color of the rainbow. Yellow diamonds contain the element nitrogen which gives that white diamond the yellow color.

Blue diamonds depend on the element boron. Green diamonds have been next to something radioactive when they were forming, therefore reflecting the green light. The rarest color and most expensive diamond are red. Till this day, there are only about 20-30 red diamonds in the world with most of them being under half a carat.  

The Rarity Of Fancy Colored Diamonds

Only a small percentage of the world’s diamonds are colored, naturally, known as Fancy Colored Diamonds. The value of a stone depends on the color – the saturation and the hue of that color. If there is a tint of grey or brown, this might lessen the price of the stone. The stronger the color, the more expensive the diamond will be. The carat weight is also another factor in determining the price as well as cut and clarity – the 4 C’s just like a white diamond.  

Only 1 In Every 10,000 Diamonds Are Naturally Colored

In order to mine a diamond, it takes a long time, a lot of resources, and a lot of manpower. Only 1 in every 10,000 natural diamonds is naturally colored. So, because of the rarity of a colored diamond and the cost and time in actually mining a diamond, that is why colored diamonds demand incredibly high prices. Depending on the color of the diamond, they can be much more expensive than a white diamond or less expensive, say like a black diamond, certain yellow diamonds, or champagne diamonds.  No two diamonds are ever alike which also makes each and every diamond, colored or not, rare. 

Accepted Treatments

There are many treatments on the market now of days where they treat or enhance a diamond to change the color. Irradiation makes them change to more attractive and stronger colors. IF this has been done to a diamond or any gemstone, by law, whoever you purchase the stone from must divulge that it has been treated. There are also lab-created diamonds which even though they are diamonds, are not natural diamonds. They only take about three weeks to compose compared to billions of years for natural diamonds. So, if a diamond is treated or lab-created, it definitely needs to be explained to the customer when purchasing. 

Colored diamonds are a true gift from Mother Nature:  a rarity that needs to be prized and treasured.