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Fancy Diamonds Education
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Fancy color diamonds are diamonds possessing a natural color other than colorless or white. While there is a huge range of fancy color diamonds, they are in-fact only 1% of all diamonds and this is why these specific diamonds are so desirable and valuable.
Colorless and white diamonds are scaled by letters D through N. These letters play an important role in defining the look and value of a diamond. Learn more about diamond color here.
We do not use the same metric system to define the color in fancy color diamonds as the spectrum of colors is wider and richer. Therefore general names are used to explain the color of the diamond for example: intense orange or light-grey blue.
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Diamonds that are below Z on the color grade are clasified as true fancy color diamonds. Fancy yellow is the most common among fancy color diamonds. Sometimes the yellow tint is accompanied with other colors such as brown or green. In such cases the color indicator contains both colors, for example: Brownish Yellow.
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Fancy brown diamonds are also known as cognac, champagne and chocolate diamonds and are mostly found in the Argyle diamond mine in Australia. Brown diamonds started to become popular in the 1980's and are well sought after today by those looking to make a statement in the fashion world of distinctly colored diamonds.
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Fancy color green diamonds are one of the rarest fancy color diamonds and are sought after by the most avid diamond and gemstone collectors. Its color comes from being near radioactive sources during its formation. The most famous green diamond is the Dresden Green Diamond originating from India and weighing 41 carats.
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Gray usually appears as a secondary color in fancy color diamonds. These color combinations include yellowish gray, light gray-blue, greenish gray and more.
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The fiery vivid color of orange diamonds attracts many who are interested in a unique and distinctive diamond. Orange diamonds are found in many different sub-shades such as yellow, red, purple and pink. Diamonds with intense orange color are very much in demand because of their natural beauty.
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Blue diamonds are very rare and valuable gems. The famous Hope Diamond is the largest blue diamond (45.52 carats) and is exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.
Many people do not know that some blue diamonds have the unique characteristic of glowing under ultraviolet light.
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Fancy Red Diamonds
Red diamonds are probably the most valuable and rare diamonds in the world. They are usually owned by kings, sultans and major collectors. Many red diamonds are not graded as "Red" alone and are graded with other colors, for example: purplish red, or brownish red. Only an extremely small percentage of color diamonds are purely red and these, of course, are the most desirable ones.
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Pink diamonds are also very popular and are a beautiful gift among loved ones. These diamonds are mostly found in Australia and are very valuable due to their rarity and high market demand. Since the 1980's pink diamonds increased in popularity and lately several known celebrities have purchased pink diamonds rings for their spouses.
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Genuine untreated black diamonds are become popular as well. Most black diamonds on the market today are heated to create a more vibrant color. This process, however lowers the value of the stone.
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