The Crocodile Cage

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Diamonds have long been associated with love and romance, intrigue and luxury. Clear diamonds have traditionally been one of the most expensive gemstones to purchase, with consumers paying a premium for the clearest and whitest of diamond engagement rings, vintage rings and men’s diamond earrings. However, a new type of diamond, the colored diamond, has gained a tremendous amount of popularity based on its rarity and the sparkling array of available colors. Colored diamonds have been accepted into the mainstream over the last few years, no longer sparking interest only for collectors, but also with the general public. Even some affordable engagement rings can be found with colored diamonds. These wonderful gems – often referred to as “fancy colored diamonds” – come in a rainbow of colors. Yellows and pinks are especially popular for diamond engagement rings and diamond stud earrings. Browns are probably the most common, and thus the most affordable. Other diamond colors include black, blue, red, green and purple. But how are colored diamonds created and what are the differences between colored and clear diamonds?

There are a few different processes involved in the diamond color change. Because high-quality colored diamonds are difficult to find in nature, diamond manufacturers have developed several techniques to transform or enhance the color of these beautiful stones in the lab. The resulting stones are real diamonds (not synthetic) that maintain their strength and longevity, are exceptionally beautiful, are indistinguishable from natural colored diamonds by the unaided eye, and are much more affordable than their natural colored counterparts. Radiation is one process that has been used for many years to change off-white diamonds into various shades of yellow, blue and blue-green. Another technique, developed recently, is known as “high-pressure, high-temperature” annealing (HPHT). This process can not only transform off-white, yellow-tinted or brownish diamonds into “colorless” and “near colorless,” but also can change them into fancy colors. These processes are generally stable and permanent under normal conditions (although exposure to extreme heat should be avoided).

Here are some vital facts about colored diamonds to keep in mind as you shop:

Colored diamonds are so rare and the conditions necessary to create them so scarce that only one out of every ten thousand diamonds that make it to the earth’s surface are colored. Colored diamonds form the same way that clear diamonds do: carbon molecules up to 150 kilometers deep in the earth’s mantle are subjected to intense pressure and heat and become diamonds. For a diamond to be colored, however, certain other elements must be present during formation. Natural colored diamonds occur when an element normally foreign to a diamond, such as nitrogen or boron, is present in the gem. Yellow diamonds are among the most popular for diamond engagement rings and diamond stud earrings. For a yellow diamond to form, nitrogen must be present during heat and pressurization. Yellow diamonds are found mainly in South Africa but as mentioned, they can be manufactured or enhanced in a lab. Blue diamonds form when boron is present and reacts with the carbon molecules. Blue diamonds are mined mainly in Pretoria, South Africa. Pink diamonds form when there is an abnormal amount of molecular compression during the diamond’s formation. Pink diamonds are exceptionally rare and are found in small numbers in India, Brazil and Tasmania. The largest source of pink diamonds is the Argyle mine in Australia. There is perhaps nothing more beautiful than a pink diamond solitaire ring.

Another striking color, and perhaps the most popular, is the brown diamond. Brown diamonds also form when intense compression is present. They are mined in larger quantities than pink, though both are mined in the Argyle mine in Australia. Brown diamonds are also mined in Africa and Siberia.

No matter which diamond color you choose for your pre-set engagement rings, diamond stud earrings or other jewelry pieces, you will love the unique sparkle and beauty for ages to come.