If you’re thinking that sparkle is coming from your tree, guess again. Colorful Christmas sparkle is apt to come in your diamond jewelry this year, making your Christmas even snappier. When the winter doldrums settle in, the holidays have a way of adding some cheer, and this now is being extended to diamonds that can come in a variety of colors, even red and green. There are even black diamonds for the avant-garde type of gentleman. The range of colors for diamonds is white, blue, gray, orange, yellow, red, green, purple, pink, black, and brown. There are so many different colors; you could even make a diamond Christmas bulb motif necklace, if you wanted to.
Why Diamonds Come in Many Colors
Diamonds can come in many colors because they either contain minute impurities in them that help to absorb specific wavelengths of light or they have been exposed to radiation when they were in the ground. Green diamonds are one of those diamonds that have been exposed to radiation. The impurities in diamonds differ. Some contain nitrogen impurities and others boron. Sometimes the way a diamond was formed in the earth can also affect the color range as in the case of pink diamonds in Australia. They are that way due to structural abnormalities that were introduced as they were created.
Famous Colored Diamonds
The Blue Hope diamond is probably the most famous fancy colored diamond. The color is due to boron particles in the crystal’s matrix. It has a colorful history to complement the fantastic blue hue. There are stories that suggest it was stolen from a religious idol of Sita, the wife of Rama, in India. This caused the priests to put a curse on whoever possessed the diamond. That’s supposedly the origin of the legendary Blue Hope diamond curse. From there, it didn’t fail to take its victims, with practically every person who owned it suffering misfortune or calamity. It was eventually donated to the Smithsonian where it remains on display for the general public. The diamond, blue to the naked eye, fluoresces red under ultraviolet light.
The trend towards purchasing fancy colored diamonds for engagement rings got a big boost when Ben Affleck proposed to Jennifer Lopez with a large pink-colored diamond ring. Even though the marriage never happened, it became a cornerstone of romantic and indulgent diamond ring purchases. Hollywood sets the stage for many fashion trends, and this was no different. Many people loved the design and the concept of using a fancy colored diamond, and knock-offs began to appear to suit the demand for imitation fashion rings. The demand for fancy colored diamonds also increased.
The Price of Fancy Colored Diamonds
The price of fancy colored diamonds increases with their popularity. There are shades that are pricier than others. For instance, a canary yellow diamond is worth far more than a pale yellow diamond. Blue and pink diamonds are very pricey. Black and brown diamonds are worth less, in general, than white diamonds. For a fancy colored stone with great color and clarity, you can expect to pay more than for a white diamond.
Why White Diamonds are so Popular
White diamonds have been the most popular diamond for a long time. They are easy to buy and sell. The price is easy to determine for appraisers, unlike the colored diamonds whose value can fluctuate depending on the demand. Even though they are called white diamonds, they have a fiery rainbow sparkle that gives them a degree of color without settling on any particular hue. They match everything and you don’t have to coordinate your jewelry with your outfit when you wear diamonds.
Of course, the diamond engagement solitaire is popular also because of the intense marketing efforts of the DeBeers company. It was their classic campaign that equated diamonds and eternal love that really set the image of a classic white diamond solitaire engagement ring in the publics’ mind. Yet rings aren’t just for getting married anymore. Larger fashion rings and right hand rings are becoming very trendy. This will only help to increase the sale of some of the fancy colored diamonds that may not be as popular now as they can be.
Fancy Colored Diamond Trends
Imagine a display of Christmas red and green diamond rings. If you are one of those people that sets the trends instead of follows them, then you can start by creating your own unique and colorful fashion ring designs. You can get some different colors of diamonds for less than white diamonds and they may increase in value if they start becoming more popular. Why not get in on the fancy diamond trend before it starts getting more pricey? It’s easy to do. Just look for loose fancy colored diamonds. Research some of the color gradings for fancy colored diamonds so that you have a good idea of what they mean.
Just like the Hope diamond has a blue look but can fluoresce red under ultraviolet light, so can other fancy colored diamonds have different looks depending on the lighting and impurities. Some pink diamonds have brown tinges and so on. The color and quality you get is pretty much dependent on how much you are willing to spend.
If you really want to know where the fancy colored diamond market is going, just watch Hollywood celebrities. Many stars are beginning to use the fancy colored diamonds in their engagement rings. White diamonds are still tremendously popular and will never go out of style, but they are adding fancy colored diamonds to add more sizzle to their diamond wear. A love of multicolored cocktail rings has swept through the A-list of celebrities. These rings are usually big and showy and are designed for holding a cocktail in your hand and showing off your status and good fortune.
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