Beautifully brilliant diamonds form naturally, over millions of years, in every color of the most vibrantly hued rainbow. But, when it comes to popularity, the stones that often get the most attention are usually white diamonds – those with no color at all. That may be changing. Fast.
Fancy Colored Diamonds – “The It Gems”
Fancy colored diamonds are fast becoming the new “it gems,” sought after not only for their intensely unusual beauty, but also for their extreme rarity. So, what are they and why are they so rare?
Even in the lightest tones and low saturation, any stone showing color in what’s called the face-up position qualifies as a fancy color diamond. Only one in every 10,000 diamonds possesses natural color vibrant enough to be classified as fancy color diamonds.
The Bold and The Beautiful
Offered up in blues, greens, pinks, oranges, reds and yellows – bold and beautiful fancy colored gems are not at all for fine jewelry wallflowers.
More often than not, these richly hued gems are purchased and appreciated for their intensity and distribution of color. Different than when shopping for a white or colorless diamond, considerations such as cut and clarity are less important when purchasing a fancy color diamond. In this market, the bolder and more intensely colored the stone is, the more valuable it is.
More and more purchasers are looking to add depth to the color palette of their jewelry collection. And retailers and auctioneers are paying attention, adding a vibrant range of hued diamonds to their offerings.
Sky Is The Limit
While all diamonds are beautiful, naturally occurring fancy colored diamonds are much more rare, and therefore, much more expensive. And for traders, they’re getting harder and harder to find.
All these factors – the combination of their rarity in nature and dissipation in sourcing – eventually add up, making fancy coloreds much more costly than their blanche counterparts. Some experts quote the sought after gems as being 10 to 20 times the price of a similar quality white diamond.
For those looking to shave down the price of a colored diamond, also available are beautifully hued diamonds that originate from treatments as opposed to nature. These enhanced colored diamonds are often priced as much as ten times lower than those that occur naturally.
Rock Stars
While their popularity and price have increased recently, interest in the showy stones is nothing new. There are many, but here are a few classic examples of fancy colored diamonds that have achieved “Rock Star” status:
The Classic Hope Diamond
One of the largest dark blue diamonds ever found, the Hope Diamond holds court as fine jewelry royalty. The 45.52 carat diamond is housed at the Harry Winston Gallery of the Smithsonian’s Geology, Gems and Minerals exhibition.
In the pendant surrounding the Hope Diamond are 16 white diamonds, both pear-shapes and cushion cuts. The necklace chain contains 45 white diamonds. It is perhaps the most visited museum object in the world.
Epic A-List
In November 2013, Christie’s Geneva sold a 14.82 carat, pear-shaped, vivid orange diamond for $35,540,612. The sale of the show-stopping piece set a world record price for an orange diamond.
Our Featured Piece
You can achieve your own Rock Star status by adding a beautiful, fancy colored diamond to your fine jewelry collection. Featured exclusively at the Studio City, California, showroom of the Diamond & Jewelry Gallery, this stunning18k white gold ring with 22k setting features a brilliant fancy yellow rectangle cut diamond surrounded by dozens of complimentary round cut yellow diamonds.
At the Diamond & Jewelry Gallery, we carry the largest selection of precious colored stones and EGL & GIA certified diamonds and jewelry anywhere – often more than 50% to 70% below retail.
Stop in to see this beautiful, yellow diamond show stopper or any of thousands of other offerings. And get ready to steal the show!
-TO
www.diamondandjewelrygallery.com
