Colors of Diamonds & Cost: Does the Color Make a Difference?

We’ve all heard about the four C’s of diamonds that affect their cost: cut, clarity, carat, and color. The cut, clarity, and carat aspects make sense, but what about color? How many different colors of diamonds are there, and does the color really make a difference in the cost of the diamond?

Well, based on what the International Gem Society has to say, the answers would be “a lot” and “heck yeah!”

How Many Colors of Diamonds Exist?

We are used to seeing the clear diamonds, which are clearly the most popular. But if you want to expand your horizons, set your sights on the rainbow of colors available for diamonds.

There are more than 30 base colors of diamonds, all beautiful in their own right, and when you combine the colors, the possibilities are infinite.

If you do get a colored diamond, by the way, don’t let anyone tell you it’s not natural or that your diamond is actually a different type of gemstone or any other misguided misconceptions like that. They’re natural diamonds alright, and they’re made the same way clear diamonds are!

Colored diamonds are formed naturally out of carbon below the surface of the Earth at temperatures greater than 1,000 degrees Celsius over the course of millions of years. (No wonder they’re so tough, right?) They change color when their chemical structure changes as they form, hence changing the way they reflect light and how our eyes perceive them.

If anything, colored diamonds are more valuable because they are rare. Only 0.1% of all diamonds change color, and they can appear in a wide array of colors, hues, and shades, including various intensities of pink, purple, red, blue, yellow, brown, and so much more.

The Most Expensive Colored Diamonds

The other three C’s aside, the deeper and more intense the color, the more expensive the diamond will be.

As described on the society’s website, the name and general value of the colored diamond is determined by a “laboratory grader.” The grader examines the base color, secondary colors, hue, tone, and saturation of color in order to determine its “Fancy Color” grading. From least to most saturated, the “Fancy Color” gradings are:

  • Faint
  • Very light
  • Light
  • Fancy light
  • Fancy
  • Fancy intense
  • Fancy vivid
  • Fancy dark
  • Fancy deep

The word “fancy” never sounded so fun, eh? And here you were thinking diamonds were all the same.

If you’re looking for something truly unique, open up your eyes to a spectrum of color for your next diamond, and visit Diamond Castle Jewelers in Novi to find the stone that speaks to you.

If you can dream it, we can help you design it

From engagement rings to new settings for heirloom jewels, we can turn your custom jewelry vision into a reality.

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