All about the fancy coloured diamonds

Welcome to Ask Asteria session where you ask, and we answer all about diamonds and jewellery. Today we will be talking about the different colours of diamonds and discussing their 4 C’s.

The world of diamonds is huge with wide variety of colours and shades which are commonly called fancy colour diamonds or simply fancy diamonds. They come in almost any one can possibly imagine: white, grey, black, purple, pink, red, orange, brown, olive, green and blue.

The first C: Colour

The chief determinant of a fancy diamond is the colour rarity. Even the slightest colour difference has a big impact in their value. In colourless diamond, the value is based on the absence of colour, D colour being the rarest. The opposite happens in fancy colour diamonds; the value increases with the strength and purity of the colour.

Fancy diamonds come in many colours amongst which the most valuable are the red, pink, blue and green. Diamonds with red or reddish colours are also known as rose coloured diamonds which are extremely rare and highly valued. The colour of the blue diamonds are caused by the presence of boron impurities, that is the more boron, the deeper the blue colour. Green is typically light in tone.

 Brown, famously called as “champagne” or “cognac” diamonds are the most common fancy diamonds. Their tone range from very dark to very light. Yellow is another common fancy diamond. Black diamonds are used in contrast with colourless diamonds in pave settings. Fancy white colour with milky colour and beautiful flashes are the ones that are used in vintage style jewellery designs.

The second C: Clarity

The clarity of fancy colour diamonds is graded the same way as that of the colourless stones. The fewer the inclusions, the higher the clarity grade. But a low clarity gemstone could also be highly priced if they have good face up look and the colour tends to hide imperfections.

The fancy diamonds are less affected by flaws compared to the colourless diamonds. The only factor that can significantly lower the diamond’s value is the inclusions that threaten gems durability.

The third C: Cut

Unlike colourless diamonds, fancy colour diatoms are not cut to maximise brilliance and sparkle. Fancy colour diamonds are cut to achieve the best possible colour. So, when choosing a fancy colour diamond, one must focus more on the stone’s colour intensity and hue than using diamonds traditional cut grade scale.

The fourth C: Carat

The larger the fancy colour diamond the rarer and more valuable it is than the smaller ones, which stands same for the colourless diamonds. This is because the larger the diamond, the bigger will be its pavilion and that gives it a more intense colour.

Thus, keeping in mind all the 4 factors, one can choose the best fancy coloured diamond for their jewellery. Happy shopping!