Diamonds come in many different colors although colorless or white diamonds are the most well known. Recently a diamond company reported that it has found some colored diamonds on property located in Quebec, Canada. The discovery is significant because of the rarity of colored diamonds. Colored diamonds are very extraordinary and often demand high prices. Colored diamond prices typically range from 20% to 100% higher prices (depending on color) than white diamonds.
Colored diamonds are an anomaly in the natural world. White diamonds (also called colorless diamonds) outnumber colored diamonds at a rate of about 10,000 to 1. Diamonds can come in many different naturally occurring colors. Different colored diamonds are formed in different ways. The most common way that colored diamonds are formed in the earth is through the introduction of a foreign element while the diamond is developing. For example when nitrogen is present the resulting diamonds are usually yellow or orange in color. When boron is present the diamonds may be blue.
Natural radiation exists deep in the earth. In areas where radiation is present during the formation of diamonds the colors produced may be blue or green. Another way that diamonds may become colored is through excess compression. Sometimes pressure is so strong that it forms diamonds that are pink, red or purple in color. These are by far the rarest type of naturally forming colored diamonds. In fact there are only six red diamonds known to be on the market.
The colored diamonds found in Quebec are reported to be in several rare colors including purple. The diamonds are just a small sampling of what is expected to be a major colored diamond find. So far there have been over 1,200 diamonds discovered in just over 34 kg of rock. Out of this sample 26 of the stones are colored diamonds including amber, yellow and pink. Other samples have included similar findings including 9 extremely rare purple diamonds. The diamond mine extracted stones that were approximately 2 ½ billion years old.
The companies that mined the stones put out a statement saying, “Natural fancy colored diamonds are very rare and expensive. Purple is one of the rarest and most desirable colors. This makes the Quebec diamond discovery both unique and among the oldest diamond-bearing occurrence in the world”. Many of the other diamond mines have found diamonds that are much younger in age. The discovery is interesting because it shows that there are many more areas to explore to find beautiful and rare diamonds.
There are manmade ways to color diamonds. These types of diamonds are made in laboratories. Some synthetic diamonds are produced to look like real diamonds. They are made using carbon just like real diamonds; however, they cannot identically recreate the nuances found in real diamonds. These synthetic diamonds are often very well made and it can take an expert to determine that they are not real. Another process is also used to produce colored diamonds. Real diamonds that are less than perfect in color can be changed. New colors can be produced using a method called irradiation. This process uses radiation exposure to change the color of the stones. Often these stones are more brilliant in color than naturally formed colored diamonds and so they may look very appealing. Changing their color in the lab, however, does not increase their real value. Only real colored diamonds hold a large value. When purchasing a real colored diamond ensure that it is the real thing by obtaining a certification.
When purchasing diamonds it is important to understand the certification process. There are several names for a diamond certificate including a diamond grading report or a diamond quality document. The main thing to remember about the report is that it should be completed by a reputable gemologist. This type of report doesn’t typically show a value but instead attempts to classify the diamond for future sale or valuation. The gemologist views the diamond through a magnifying lens to view its exact dimensions as well as the characteristics of the diamond.
The certificate also contains a description of the color of the diamond. This is especially important in the certification of colored diamonds. With colored diamonds the deeper or darker the color in general the rarer the stone is and the more it is worth. Rough diamonds are usually categorized by weight. The rough stones are later cut into stones that are smaller than the original size of the diamond. The smaller stones use the best parts of the diamond to increase the brilliance and value of the stones. Many small-sized stones can be made from one larger rough diamond. The best diamonds are those that are masterfully cut to provide the best brilliance. These cuts provide many sides or facets to the diamond making it take in light and appear to sparkle.
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