Fancy Coloured Diamonds

Diamonds and Fancies

We all know certain words are used when we speak of diamonds, e.g. ice, bling, rock and we know about the 4 Cs – colour, cut, clarity, carat – for diamond grading and selection. But what do we know about fancy coloured diamonds? Chances are not a lot because the fancies haven’t had the same intense marketing strategies their colourless cousins enjoyed, thanks, years ago, to De Beers’ campaign that coined their slogan, “A Diamond is Forever”.

The fancies, of course, have not gone unnoticed; rather, thanks to celebrity – Jennifer Lopez’s gorgeous pink diamond engagement ring from Ben Affleck valued at over $1 million  – their popularity has increased exponentially. And, if ever the term ‘eye candy’ was meant for something extraordinary, fancy coloured diamonds are it.

Fancy Coloured Diamonds

 I’m flexible or maybe downright fickle about colour preference because, for years, my favourite colour has been purple but before that I preferred green above all other colours and I have never been fond of yellow – except for flowers – or brown until now, having now found Fancy Yellow and Fancy Brown diamonds. I’m not, however, fickle about colour, glitter, and sparkle that are then constants as to gem choice. But if you’re thinking of treating yourself to a gemstone, how do you choose or what are your criteria, e.g. colour preference, your birthstone, or something no one else has? The obvious choice must surely be a fancy coloured diamond because the fancies have everything – glitter, sparkle, beauty, and an amazing range of colours – and being of the right hardness as their colourless peers they are suitable for all types of jewellery.

Colours of the fancies

 Again, think ‘eye candy’ because the fancies come in a marvellous array of colours that is almost certainly 100% guaranteed to suit every taste, every whim, every occasion. The colours then are: Green, Blue, Red, Pink, Purple, Orange, Yellow, Brown, Grey, Black, and White (colourless or opaque). I particularly like the Fancy Green Diamonds but would be cautious, and so should you if you’re thinking of buying one because no one seems to know with absolute certainty where the green colour comes from and being extremely rare they are always regarded with suspicion that they may not be the real thing but a stone that has been lab treated with a green colour. Therefore, to avoid being scammed you need to speak to a reputable, trustworthy gemologist, i.e. Joe at LL Private Jewellers.

Blue Diamonds are also extremely rare but there’s no question as to the origin of their colour, which is boron so the more boron, the deeper the blue and the higher price tag but because of their slight hint of grey their colour is not as highly saturated as blue sapphires.  Nonetheless, the colour range of Blue Diamonds is truly amazing, running from faint, to very light, to light, to fancy, fancy intense, fancy vivid, fancy dark, and fancy deep. So, if your favourite colour is blue you’ll be in your element when you see these blue beauties though you might have difficulty settling on just one.

The rarest and therefore most expensive are the Red or reddish Fancy Diamonds and among the Pinks the purer the colour the more popular whereas those stones that display purplish, greyish, brownish, or orangy tints are the least popular. Those with purplish tints, though, are known as mauve diamonds making them very complimentary to the true and also gorgeous Purple Fancy Diamond.

The most common fancy diamond colour is Brown and while they were set in rings by second-century Romans they did not become popular in modern times until the 1980s when the owners of Australia’s Argyle Mines, where they were found, marketed them as ‘cognac’ or ‘chocolate’ fancy diamonds. And set on a white or rose-gold band they are truly stunning.  I know this to be true because I’ve seen such a bangle in rose gold.

Yellow diamonds are the second most common of the fancies and my #1 favourite though I have no preference as to colour saturation whether canary, vivid or intense; I love them all. Being the second most common though they appear to be the most affordable of the Fancy Coloured Diamonds and, according to some in the trade, they are  the best introduction to the whole range of Fancy Coloured Diamonds. The choice, of course, is yours if you’re on the market for a coloured diamond but before making a purchase you really should see all of these naturally coloured truly exquisite beauties up close and personal at LL Private Jewellers.

Please for more information about fancy coloured diamonds please contact LL Private Jewellers at 604-684-6343.