RARE IS THE NAME
When it comes to unique and eye-catching beauty, there are few things in this world quite as impressive as a fancy colored diamond. However, these natural phenomena are rare. Indeed, experts claim they make up just 0.0001% of all diamonds, and when they are discovered, particularly special examples will make the world’s headlines due to their astonishing properties.
Fancy colored diamonds are not to be confused with diamonds of a low color grade, which usually have a yellowish tint to them, and are of far less value. They are instead something special, and they are judged and graded on the depth and intensity of their color, rather than in the usual manner in which diamonds are graded and separated from one another. Here are some of the main points to take into consideration when dealing with fancy colored diamonds.
EVALUATING COLORED DIAMONDS
Naturally colored diamonds are rare and precious things indeed. Their hues can vary wildly from one example to the other, and all imaginable colors can be found in these fascinating pieces of natural artistry. Their value is usually dependent on the depth and luxuriousness of their color, and they are graded according to a different set of criteria than white, colorless diamonds of the same size and weight.
That’s not to say that weight is insignificant, though - it will always be a factor when it comes to price. If you have any concerns about colored diamonds, just remember - diamonds which have been artificially colored in any way will always be marked as such.
COLORED DIAMOND CARAT WEIGHT
The price of all diamonds are in relation to their carat value. When they are cut from the earth, diamonds come in many different shapes and sizes, and so there is no standard weight for colored diamonds - it really does depend on your budget, and how much you feel of an investment you want to make.
In nature, fancy colored diamonds are extremely rare, and rarer still are fancy colored diamonds of any considerable size. Coloured diamonds of a higher carat weight will have a price reflective of this. For the budget conscious amongst you, aim for fancy colored diamonds which are slightly below the next carat weight up, to get the most affordable option.
EVALUATING COLORED DIAMOND CLARITY
In order to understand how clarity is graded with fancy colored diamonds, you need to consider the fact that the color of the diamond itself is going to have something of powerful influence when it comes to how ‘clear’ the diamond is.
It goes without saying that a bright white diamond is going to have considerably more clarity than a colored one, as the pigmentation will act as a filter for some of the light which enters and exits the diamond.
However, that isn’t to say that fancy colored diamonds don’t sparkle - quite the opposite, in fact. They have a scintillation and fire all of their own, and the job of the skilled cutter is to cut the colored diamond in a way which puts this combination of natural color and sparkle above all other properties.
Cutters these days are highly experienced in working with fancy colored diamonds. While the primary aim of cutting a colored diamond is to encourage those wonderful natural hues to burst from the gemstone and catch the eye, this is not the be-all-and-end-all of the cutter’s task. We are also capable of setting these precious gemstones in such a way as to allow plenty of light to reflect and refract inside and out, thus enhancing the colors and allowing their natural beauty to shine.