Journey through the world of coloured diamonds

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In November 2020, the pink diamond “The Spectre of the Rose” was auctioned for over $26 million. Highlighted by High Jewelry, natural diamonds are now the talk of the town.

 

The source of many legends, colored diamonds were ignored until the 1970s and 80s, but today they are the most prized stones on the planet. From blue to daffodil yellow to bright pink, diamonds exist in their natural state in all colors of the light spectrum. Initially full of mystery, the Natural Diamond Council has just lifted the veil on these treasures of nature, captivating by their natural color, their brilliance and their extreme rarity.

 

© Natural Diamond Council

A phenomenon of natural origin

 

If in the collective imagination, there are only transparent white natural diamonds, this is not at all the case in reality. Cherished by man, diamonds have been formed in the depths of the Earth for more than three billion years, under the effect of extreme heat and pressure. These gems only develop when carbon atoms bond together in a crystalline structure.

 

However, during the formation of a diamond, certain variables, such as changes in pressure, can alter the stone. This alteration results in diamonds of almost every color of the rainbow, “colored diamonds,” one of the rarest phenomena seen in nature.

 

The rarest colors

 

To realize their rarity, out of ten thousand diamonds extracted from a mine, only one of them will be a natural color diamond. While colorless diamonds remain the most valuable, some diamonds called “color saturated” can be more valuable and are known as “fancy“. These include blue, pink and green diamonds.

 

Blue diamonds are among the rarest and most intriguing diamonds in science, because they only exist when boron, a natural element, is trapped in their crystal structure. The boron then absorbs yellow light and reflects blue light, creating this hue in the stone.

 

© Natural Diamond Council

 

Pink diamonds are also extremely rare. Arriving on earth in such small numbers, only one diamond in 100,000 can be certified pink. Ranging from very light pink to red, pink diamonds obtain their hue through a phenomenon called plastic deformation. Under extreme pressure, the crystal structure of the diamond is compressed so that it reflects red light. The greater the plastic deformation, the more intense the color of the diamond. This will make it more difficult to achieve a high degree of clarity and a high carat weight.

 

© Natural Diamond Council

 

For example, the Pink Star formerly known as Steinmetz Pink. This diamond was discovered by the DeBeers jewellery group in 1999, weighing 132.5 carats in its rough form. It was sold to diamond cutters from the Beny Steinmetz Group. Steinmetz took 20 months to carefully cut the stone to preserve its unique pink colour.

 

© Ian Gavan / Getty pour Sotheby’s

 

Finally, green diamonds are probably the most surprisingly formed diamonds compared to other colored diamonds. Their color is the result of the natural decay of radioactive substances from the Earth, emitting radiation that will alter the position of electrons or carbon atoms in the crystal lattice. The stone will then reflect green light.

 

© Natural Diamond Council

1,500 colors listed

 

The phenomenon of colorization of diamonds is the same as that which we can find in painting. Mixing yellow and red pigments in paint will give orange; and the natural phenomena at the origin of the color of diamonds that can occur alone or in combination, are able to create almost all the colors of the rainbow. For example, if a diamond has plastic deformation (as in a pink diamond) and also has sufficient nitrogen (as in a yellow diamond), the result is an orange diamond.

 

The Gemological Institute of America lists up to 1,500 colors for natural diamonds. Their value will depend on their rarity, but not only. The more vibrant and intense their color, the higher the price and value of the colored diamond.

 

The tiny number of natural color diamonds that are found each year is a consequence of their extreme rarity, which makes them even more extraordinary. Natural colored diamonds, representing only 0.4% of all diamonds classified in the last 20 years, are a true gift of nature.

 

 

Read also > PANDORA ABANDONS NATURAL DIAMOND PRODUCTION

 

 

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In November 2020, the pink diamond “The Spectre of the Rose” was auctioned for over $26 million. Highlighted by High Jewelry, natural diamonds are now the talk of the town.

 

The source of many legends, colored diamonds were ignored until the 1970s and 80s, but today they are the most prized stones on the planet. From blue to daffodil yellow to bright pink, diamonds exist in their natural state in all colors of the light spectrum. Initially full of mystery, the Natural Diamond Council has just lifted the veil on these treasures of nature, captivating by their natural color, their brilliance and their extreme rarity.

 

A phenomenon of natural origin

 

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In November 2020, the pink diamond “The Spectre of the Rose” was auctioned for over $26 million. Highlighted by High Jewelry, natural diamonds are now the talk of the town.

 

The source of many legends, colored diamonds were ignored until the 1970s and 80s, but today they are the most prized stones on the planet. From blue to daffodil yellow to bright pink, diamonds exist in their natural state in all colors of the light spectrum. Initially full of mystery, the Natural Diamond Council has just lifted the veil on these treasures of nature, captivating by their natural color, their brilliance and their extreme rarity.

 

A phenomenon of natural origin

 

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Thanks to its extensive knowledge of these sectors, the Luxus + editorial team deciphers for its readers the main economic and technological stakes in fashion, watchmaking, jewelry, gastronomy, perfumes and cosmetics, hotels, and prestigious real estate.

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