Fancy Color Diamond Guide
Would you like to know more about fancy color diamonds? Interested on how their value and price can be determined? Stay tuned!
Introduction to the world of fancy colored diamonds
Diamond Guide we go through the 4 main characteristics of a diamond, the so called ’4C’s. One of these ’C’s stands for color . As a quick reminder,D refers to colorless stones while Z means the opposite: diamonds which carry strong yellowish colors. You need to be aware that there are diamonds which fall off this range, these diamonds are so colorful (e.g. yellow or red) that they are not considered anymore as regular transparent stones with a certain color grade, rather than belong to a separate group of stones called the fancy color diamonds .
In the image below you can see the type of fancy colors existing on the market. Among some of the most unique stones we can mention the blue, yellow, pink or red colored diamonds.
’Not everything is as it seems’ – i.e. Not every colored stone is a fancy colored diamond
When we talk about fancy colored diamonds, we are talking about naturally formed diamonds, which owe their beauty completely and exclusively to the Mother Nature.
Important to mention that there are certain fancy colored diamonds which go through treatments (these are the so called treated diamonds).During these treatments the stones are exposed to extraordinary conditions such as high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) and by this they are able to influence the final color classificationof a diamond. It is a common procedure used especially at brown color diamonds as they try to alter it’s color to red. Red diamonds are considered extremely rare, therefore they are very valuable and priced super high on the market. Another example when they take a regular transparent diamond with a low color grade and try to ’push’ it over the color scale bar and turn it into a fancy color yellow diamond. The aim is similar in both instances: make the stone look more attractive to buyers and increase profits by forming a new stone out of the original one.
These treated diamonds are relatively easy to recognize as the the alteration is so conspicuous that the stone looks more like a semi precious gemstone,rather than a diamond.
Obviously, we are not expecting you to identify the difference immediately, especially if you are not familiar with the industry. My advice is that if you eventually decide to go for a fancy colored diamond engagement ring, make sure you ask the seller if the stones are 100% naturalor went through any sort of supplementary treatment.
Some people do not really care about these treatments, they go for a good bargain and buy a certain stone much cheaper than the natural counterpart. This is completely fine, however for us at Best Diamond's it is a matter of principle and we are really committed to sell strictly natural stones, period.
Fancy colored diamonds and the ’4C’s
I cannot emphasize enough that the cutthis one is the most important role when it comes to regular transparent diamonds. The process of cutting a rough stone determines how successfully will be able the final diamond to reflect back the light and by this to ensure sparkle and splendor.
When it comes to fancy colored diamond the situation is different. Out of the 4C’s, it is a little bit obvious that the coloris quite significant as it will have the most influence and will determine at the end a diamond's final price. Do not get me wrong, the cut cannot be neglected, however while the cut makes a regular transparent diamond eye catching, here at the colored stones it becomes a secondary factor after the color. In the next chapter, you will find a more detailed explanation regarding it’s classification.
Every claritythis one is same category as the cut. It is influencing the final price of a colored stone, but the impact is much less compare to a regular diamond where inclusions are much more visible. Let’s take for example the black colored diamonds.Inclusions in a black colored stone are obviously much harder to spot, therefore they are not making a much of a difference and not impacting substantially it’s beauty.
We went through the cut, color and clarity but what about the carat?this one is obvious, the larger the stone, the more expensive it is. There is no change from that perspective.
The color classification as crucial element
Grading the color of a fancy colored diamond is based on 3 very important aspects :
- Hue - i.e. the color of the stone. E.g. green, yellow, blue, black or pink etc. Pay attention because a diamond can have a certain color, but can also contains traces of another color in it. For example: ’Greeny Yellow’. In this type of color determination the yellow color (noun form) will be the primary color and the first one, Green - secondary color. The final color can also stands for ’Green Yellow’. This means the diamond is double-colored and both colors are considered as primary colors.
- Tone - i.e. how light or dark the color in the stone.
- Saturation - i.e. how strong or weak the color in the stone.
In the image below you can see the color classification of a pink diamonds, If we take for example the second from the left(Very Light),we speak about pink hue diamond with very light tone and very weak saturation. On the other hand, if we pick the second from the rightFancy Vividwe are facing a darker tone with stronger saturation.
Fancy Light, Fancy, Fancy Intense and Fancy Vivid
The general practice when it comes to grading color ends somewhere around the 4 grades above.
Every yellow diamonds are considered very popular these days. In the image below you can see that the Fancy Light equals lighter tone and weak saturation,the Fancy (Dark) is a bit darker and means slightly stronger saturation. The Fancy Intense comes with relatively light tone and stronger saturation and finally the Fancy Vivid results light tone as well along with the strongest saturation.
Let the numbers speak for itself..i.e. how much does a fancy colored diamond cost?
We understood the 4C’s and it’s impact on the final value of a fancy colored diamond, however there is an additional factor, which is above all aspects – rarity.
At the top of the list stands the red diamond, which is an extremely rare type of stone, therefore considered super expensive on the market. 1 carat red diamond can cost more than 1 millionUSD !
Following the red diamond,the blue diamond takes the second place. The blue diamonds are so unique, they can be found only in 3 geographical locations: Australia, South-Africa and India.
Want to know the price of a blue diamond? If we take for example a 0.25 ct Fancy Vivid color stone, which comes with a darker tone and stronger saturation, the final price for such stone would be around 75.000 USD !
The third place belongs to the pink diamonds,which has an extremely special hue and enjoys great popularity among the ladies these days. We are not surprised considering it’s beauty.
Just to calm things down, let us make a statement that there are affordable fancy colored diamonds out there. The yellow and the black diamonds are very demanded and because they are not considered very rare type of stones, thier price is more pocket-friendly as well. The oval shaped yellow diamond below weighs half a carat (0.50 ct) and color graded as Fancy Vivid makes the final cost of such stone around 2.000 USD .
Are you looking for fancy colored diamonds? You will find them at Best Diamond’s!
Every Best Diamond we offer exclusively natural and naturally fancy colored diamonds. If you are a fan of high quality, we are here to assist you! We provide free and private consultations, during which I will present to you our unique engagement ring collection and with our help we can tailor the ring to match exactly your needs.