Think of a diamond, a transparent or sparklingly white color comes in the mind. That is absolutely true. Those are in fact the colorless diamonds which are generally available for the jewelry.
Then, what are the color grades for the ‘colorless’ diamonds? Minor imperfections. A diamond may get a little tint by impurities present in the structure. However, they are still very very expensive. They stay precious and beautiful forever. They are diamonds!
Fewer the flaws, lesser the hue, higher the value. Therefore, a GIA color rating certification of D (colorless, structurally perfect) through Z (slight tint due to chemical impurities) is done for the diamonds, where D is the most expensive one as it is perfect without flaws.
Likewise, next in line is an E-grade diamond. It does have a color but so little that it wouldn’t be detectable to the naked eye. The other end of this scale is Z, which represents that a diamond has a little shade, generally yellow, to detract its value. Interestingly, all of them fall in the same class of ‘white’ diamonds. We have mentioned these ratings in our post Buying A Diamond: Look For The Certificate
Now comes the fascinating part – The real Colored Diamonds. Nature’s color endowed upon a diamond to make it one of the rarest objects known to man. Red, yellow, pink, green, purple or even black! More intense the color, costlier the price and higher the popularity. It may get discovered in any color, but it is not manufactured.
Every scintillating find like this gem, is peculiar to itself. It is because the naturally occurring white diamonds are already very rare. But if someone is lucky enough to find the nature’s hidden treasure, i.e., an authentic colored diamond — that is called hitting the jackpot.
To decide the characteristics of such a prized stone, an independent appraisal is commonly done for every naturally colored diamond, away from the traditional methods of rating the white ones. Red solitaires are the most celebrated ones with extraordinary price tags in the market. Blue, pink and green ones are also high in demand and fetch a great fortune.
Out of thousands of unearthed diamonds, only 1 or 2 possess natural color. No wonder why these fancy stones decorate the royal crowns or become the subject of blockbuster movies. The Winston Blue diamond, a flawless 13.22 carat pear-shaped blue diamond was sold at a price of above $23.8 million, if sources are to be believed. The 128 carat Tiffany Yellow Diamond is valued at $30 million, worn by Lady Gaga at the Oscars recently. Do you know what The Pink Star is?