Fancy color diamonds are an extraordinary phenomenon in the world of gemstones. For every 10,000 or so colorless diamonds, only 1 diamond with this color predicate is obtained. In many cases, their prices exceed those of colorless diamonds.
Fancy color diamonds are an extraordinary phenomenon in the world of gemstones. For every 10,000 or so colorless diamonds, only 1 diamond with this color predicate is obtained. In many cases, their prices exceed those of colorless diamonds.
The yellow coloration is created by the additional incorporation of nitrogen atoms into the crystal lattice of the diamond. Nitrogen absorbs the violet and blue parts of the light spectrum and therefore makes the stone shine in the complementary color yellow. The intensity of the yellow varies depending on the amount of nitrogen incorporated.
Yellow diamonds with particularly intense coloration are referred to as "canary yellow". Such intense colors (such as "intense" or "vivid") are extremely rare and therefore very valuable.
The most common overtones in yellow diamonds are green, orange and brown.
Today, yellow diamonds can be found in a wide variety of mines. Yellow diamonds from South Africa are common.
For a natural fancy yellow diamond with high clarity, a price of US$ 5,000 to US$ 9,000 per carat can be expected. For a stone with fancy intense / vivid, the price rises to US$ 18,000 to US$ 35,000 per carat.
Natural orange diamonds also owe their color to the inclusion of nitrogen atoms in the crystal structure. A pure fancy orange, without any brown tint, is one of the most sought-after colors among investors and collectors.
Orange diamonds usually present themselves in shades between yellow-orange and orange-brown. Pure orange is very rarely graded by gemmological institutes and is therefore almost as rare as red fancy diamonds.
Für einen NF Orange Diamanten mit hoher Reinheit kann mit einem Preis von mindestens 200‘000 US$ pro Karat gerechnet werden. Für einen Stein mit fancy intense / vivid steigt der Preis auf mindestens 900‘000 US$ an.
The exact reason for the formation of green diamonds has not yet been proven. It is assumed that one of the causes lies in radioactive radiation that acts on the diamond over a longer period of time. The diamond absorbs parts of the magenta-colored light spectrum and therefore glows green. The tone can range from faint green with a slight green shimmer to fancy vivid green with a deep green color.
Compared to other fancy color diamonds, it is more difficult to determine whether the color was created through artificial treatment to intensify it. For this reason, green diamonds are always examined in detail by gemmological institutes before certification.
In addition to the intensity, the overtones that occur also have a decisive influence on the color effect. Due to the large variance of overtones, every green diamond is truly unique. The colors yellow, blue, brown and grey occur most frequently as overtones.
For an NF Green diamond with high clarity, a price of US$ 40,000 to US$ 70,000 per carat can be expected. For a stone with fancy intense / vivid, the price rises to at least US$ 180,000 per carat.
Current research assumes that the stones are exposed to disturbances during the formation process that create irregularities in growth (so-called grain lines). These grain lines create a grain, which in turn changes the refraction of light so that the diamond appears pink. The more graining a diamond has, the more intense the pink coloration. Pink stones with high clarity grades are therefore very unusual and rare. The high demand and low availability make them valuable on the one hand and interesting for investors on the other, as their price has been rising continuously for years.
Pink diamonds without an overtone are usually more valuable than stones with secondary colors. Exceptions are, for example, a purple overtone, which has a value-enhancing effect. The overtones make pink diamonds shine from delicate old rose to rich pink tones. The most common overtones are purple and brown.
As with many fancy color diamonds, the main place of discovery is the Argyle Mine in Australia, which has been closed since the end of 2020. The pink from this mine is so unique that diamond dealers worldwide can recognize its origin by its color. Argyle diamonds are particularly popular as investment diamonds. Especially when they are also accompanied by an original certificate from the Argyle mine. This usually results in the best prices.
For an NF pink diamond with high clarity, a price of US$ 80,000 to US$ 130,000 per carat can be expected. For a stone with fancy intense / vivid, the price rises to US$ 170,000 to US$ 700,000 per carat.
Basically, the blue color is caused by additional atoms of the semimetal boron. The more boron is incorporated, the more intense the blue appears. Sometimes the color is also influenced by additional nitrogen molecules.
Without overtones, blue diamonds are a real rarity. Most blue diamonds have a gray overtone, often also a green one. Natural blue diamonds without overtones are the most valuable.
In the past, most natural blue diamonds came from the Indian subcontinent. In the meantime, however, South Africa has become the largest producer of blue diamonds. In addition to the South African Pretoria mine, the Australian Argyle mine was also known for its magnificent blue colors.
For an NF Blue diamond with high clarity, a price of US$ 180,000 to US$ 350,000 per carat can be expected. For a stone with fancy intense / vivid, the price rises to at least US$ 400,000 per carat.
Similar to pink diamonds, the color appearance of red diamonds is also caused by the inclusion of foreign metallic elements, among other things. They are the rarest diamonds in the world. However, due to their extremely low occurrence, the exact reason for this has been little researched. It is suspected that deformations in the crystal lattice could be responsible. Pure red diamonds, without overtones, are rare and also difficult to find on the market as larger stones. Their rarity makes them one of the most sought-after investment diamonds, but also one of the most expensive. Increased demand and the closure of the Argyle mine, the most important producer, are causing prices to rise steadily.
The overtones create diamonds in a wider range of red tones. The overtones range from brown to orange. In contrast to all other color diamonds, red diamonds are classified exclusively in the Fancy Red intensity.
Since red diamonds were discovered in the Argyle mine in Australia, most of them have come from here. But there have also been significant finds from South Africa and Brazil.
Für einen NF Red Diamanten mit hoher Reinheit kann mit einem Preis von mindestens 1.000.000 US$ pro Karat gerechnet werden.
