| Colored diamonds amount to less than one carat | | | | Make sure you ask about the origin of the |
| in 10,000 carats of all mined diamonds. They are | | | | diamond and ask for a certificate to validate the |
| very rare. However, because they exhibit the | | | | gemstone. |
| wonderful color saturation and hues of less | | | | Like white diamonds, all fancy diamonds are |
| expensive colored gemstones, but still have the | | | | graded according to the 4Cs. These are carat, |
| brilliance of diamonds, they are like two | | | | cut, color and clarity. Cut and carat weight |
| gemstones in one. All of this makes them much | | | | classifications are the same as for white |
| sought after. | | | | gemstones, but there are slightly different |
| To meet demand for what it a very rare | | | | considerations for clarity and color. |
| gemstone, gemologists developed techniques | | | | The clarity of colored diamonds is generally lower |
| where by high pressures and temperatures are | | | | than that of white diamonds. In fact, translucent |
| applied to clean but poor color diamonds, to | | | | to transparent stones are very rare. However, |
| enhance their natural hues in exactly the same | | | | the clarity does not matter as much for colored |
| way that Mother Nature first produced the nature | | | | diamonds, if the color saturation is good. If you |
| fancy colored diamonds. These practice is so | | | | are looking for a fancy diamond, included stones |
| common that unless the colored diamond has a | | | | are often perfectly fine. |
| prohibitively high price tag (and I mean really high), | | | | Unlike white diamonds, colored gemstones are |
| the gemstone will have been treated to bring out | | | | graded in terms of how much color they do have, |
| the natural hues to perfection. This does not | | | | rather than how much they do NOT have. For |
| mean that the diamond is a fake. The treatment | | | | fancies, the deeper the hue, the better the |
| process mimics Nature's own and is considered to | | | | gemstone. And if the hue is deep enough, internal |
| be totally permanent. So even if the jewelry piece | | | | flaws are harder or impossible to see, so the |
| needs repairing at some point in the future, the | | | | clarity of the gemstone becomes less important. |
| color of the diamond will remain. | | | | So, when buying fancy colored diamonds, make |
| If the diamond has been mined, it is a real | | | | sure that they are naturally mined, genuine |
| diamond. Period. | | | | diamonds, and then go for the deepest hues and |
| However, there are laboratory created diamonds, | | | | the best saturation you can afford. These |
| which have been developed to mimic colored | | | | wonderful fashion pieces are future heirlooms. |
| fancy diamonds. Because these diamonds have | | | | Enjoy them. |
| not been mined, they are not genuine diamonds. | | | | |