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The Allure Of Fancy Diamonds
by Jackie Bridgford
http://www.ablediamonds.com
Do you know what diamonds and a chocolate substitute have in
common? Can you name the most popular cut of diamond? Do you
understand why size is only one-fourth the reason for a
diamond's price? Do you know what makes a diamond 'fancy'?
Fancy diamonds range in color from pale yellow to black,
with an endless variation of shadings between. While the
source of the color may be the same as the 'inclusions' that
detract from the value of clear diamonds, in fancies the
color is more than a tinge that discolors the purity of the
stone. In this case, the coloring is intense and
unmistakable under any light.
It's estimated that somewhere between 1 in 1000 to 1 in
10,000 diamonds mined are true, natural fancies. In size,
they are nearly always smaller than conventional diamonds.
It's rare for a fancy diamond to weigh more than one carat.
Despite that fact, it's interesting to note that some of
most well-known diamonds in the world are actually fancies.
These include the Hope Diamond, which weighs in at 45.52
carats, and is a deep, opaque blue. Others are the Dresden
diamond, 40.70 carats, which is an intense apple green in
color. The Tiffany diamond, on display at Tiffany's Fifth
Avenue in New York City, is a canary yellow diamond that
weighs 287.42 carats.
By far the most common color for fancy diamonds is brown,
though few jewelers will use the word 'brown' to describe
the stones. Pale brown stones are often referred to as
champagne diamonds, and often have an effervescent quality
to their color. Deeper brown stones are often called cognac,
and share the golden brown color of the fiery liquor.
Because of their relatively common number, brown diamonds
are usually the least costly of the fancies.
The ideal Color for most diamonds is none. The closer a
diamond comes to completely transparent and colorless, the
more valuable it is. This is because the impurities that
give the diamond its color change the way that light
refracts when it hits the stone. The most brilliant fire is
found in pure 'white' diamonds.
There is one exception to that rule - fancy diamonds. Those
diamonds that are clearly red, blue, green or yellow are
extremely rare, and that rarity makes them extremely
valuable. Canary diamonds, for instance, are an intense
yellow, and are valued for their sparkle and fire. Pink
diamonds, mined in only one place in the world, are
exceedingly rare, and priced accordingly. A 3/4 carat fancy
intense pink diamond can easily cost $30,000 - without the
setting.
Yellow diamonds are another fairly common fancy type, but
the intensity of the yellow varies widely. The various
impurities that can cause colors are often also tinged with
yellow, giving rise to colors like olive and yellow brown.
Despite the rarity of colored diamonds larger than one
carat, the largest cut diamond in the world, the Golden
Jubilee, is a canary diamond.
The rarest of all diamonds are red, green and canary yellow.
They're so rare that diamond experts say that you probably
have more fingers on your hand than there are diamonds in
those colors in the world.
Finally, diamonds are as unique as fingerprints. When you
invest in a diamond, the diamond's certificate will serve as
a unique identifying document that describes your diamond in
detail. Insist on receiving it, and keep it in a safe place
in case you ever need it for identification purposes.
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