There is no denying the fact that colorless, white or cream colored diamonds are the most preferred even today. They stand for pur...
There is no denying the fact that colorless, white
or cream colored diamonds are the most preferred even today. They stand for
purity, quality and durability. However, over the past many decades there has
been a steady growth of colored diamonds and they are often referred to as
fancies. They come in different saturations and hues. You can find them in
almost all major colors including black, brown (chocolate diamonds), red, pink, purple, green, red, yellow
and even other mixed colors and hues. They are highly prized and are now being
used in weddings as wedding rings. This may not have been the case a few
decades ago. However, as fashion moves forward and as people are willing to try
out new things, there is no doubt that there is a growing demand for colored
diamonds. There is also another diamond by the name chameleon. As the name
itself suggests, this diamond changes colors and it therefore is very rare and
very much in demand amongst those sections of society who are ready to pay for
it.
Things To Bear
In Mind
However, we need to understand that since colorless
or white diamonds are the most popular in the world the colored variants are
often passed off as quality diamonds at lower prices. You must be careful about
it because in most cases they are dyed artificially through a process called
irradiation. Though such diamonds might look attractive the first time around,
in most cases they are cheap imitations of the colored original variants.
Buying them would certainly be a mistake and very soon you will realize that
you have ended up buying the wrong chocolate diamonds
if that is the favorite color you are looking for. You have to understand that
original colored diamonds are quite rare and for every 10000 carats of diamond
mined in the world today only 1 carat belong to the original colored variants.
How Do They
Get Their Colors
Before buying these colored diamonds, you also must
know as to how these original colored diamonds get their hues and shades from.
The hues and shades which they come with are determined by the atoms which are
built inside them over thousands of years. Further the rate at which the light
is able to penetrate through and the angle at which it gets reflected would
also determine the color of these diamonds. Further, the way in which these
diamonds are cut, polished and evened out also have a bearing in the depth or
lightness of the shade. Last but not the least you also must be aware of the
institution Gemological Institute of America. It is considered to be the most
reliable and trustworthy place for gradation of diamonds. They have a system of
grading their diamonds from D to Z. D is considered to be the purest form of
diamonds and only very rare white colored or colorless diamonds are put under
this category. As far as colored diamonds are concerned, the grading starts
from Z and goes up to Z+ and more. The higher the category in Z the lower is
the quality of the hue and color of these colored diamonds.
Follow The
Basics
When it comes to choosing colored diamonds, it would
be better to stick to the basics. When we talk about basic, we are referring to
the Four C’s and they are color, clarity, cut and carat. Hence, you must ensure
that you are paying attention to this when you are buying diamonds either from
online stores or brick and mortar stores. As a beginner without much of an
experience it would always be better to look for colored diamonds from brick
and mortar stores. This is of course because of the look and feel advantage
which you will not get from online stores.
The Final Word
In fine you have to bear in mind that colors in
diamonds can be induced through a number of processes. You would do better to be
aware of irradiation and other artificial processes of coloring diamonds. These
are often referred to as enhancing processes and you would be better advised to
stay away from such artificially colored diamonds if you are looking for
purity.
