Fancy Coloured Diamond Guide

The value of a diamond is determined by its scarcity. In general, diamonds have a natural yellowish hue and thus the absence of colour increases the value of diamonds. Colourless diamonds are very rare and extremely valuable. The exception to this rule is fancy diamonds. Fancy diamonds are diamonds that have a colour outside the normal colour range (refer to our diamond guide for more information). Diamonds with a noticeable hint of any hue other than yellow or brownish are considerably rarer and more valuable.

Grading fancy colour diamonds is complex and specialised. The GIA system for colour-grading fancy diamonds is designed to accommodate the fact that not all coloured diamonds have the same depth of colour. For example, yellow diamonds occur in a wide range of saturations, while blue diamonds do not.

Similar to normal diamonds, the four most important factors that influence the quality and price of diamonds are colour, clarity, cut and carat weight.

COLOUR

The most valuable hues are pink, blue, and green. Slight colour differences can impact value.
Button
CLARITY

Even diamonds with a low clarity grade are prized by connoisseurs if their colour is attractive.
Button
CUT

Fancy shapes like radiant cuts are commonly used to maximize the intensity of the colour.
Button
CARAT WEIGHT

In pink, blue, green and orange, even fancy colour diamonds below a carat are rare and valuable.
Button

Fancy Diamond Colour

The value of fancy diamonds generally increases with the strength and purity of the colour. Large, vivid fancy coloured diamonds are extremely rare and very valuable. However, many fancy diamond colours are muted rather than pure and strong. The rarest and most valuable colours are saturated pinks, blues and greens. Red diamonds are so rare that only a handful are known to exist.

Brown is the most common fancy diamond colour and also the earliest to be used in jewellery. Second-century Romans set brown diamonds in rings. Brown diamonds were typically considered for industrial use only until the 1980s when they slowly become more popular. These diamonds are better known as “cognac” or “champagne” diamonds and are commonly found in middle to high-end jewellery stores.

Vivid yellow is the second most common fancy colour. Yellow diamonds are sometimes marketed as “canary” diamonds. Although this term is not a grading term used by GIA, it is commonly used in retail trade to describe fancy yellow diamonds.

Fancy blue colour is caused by the presence of boron impurities. The more boron is present, the deeper the blue.

Fancy green diamonds are typically light in tone and low in saturation. Their colour often appears muted, with a greyish or brownish cast. Green diamonds obtain their colour when radiation displaces carbon atoms from their normal positions in the crystal structure. This can happen naturally when diamond deposits lie near radioactive rocks, or artificially as a result of treatment by irradiation. Naturally coloured green diamonds are extremely rare.

Fancy Diamond Clarity

Colour is the dominant value factor when grading fancy diamonds. Diamonds with several inclusions that would normally result in a low clarity grade will be highly valued if they display an attractive face-up colour. Inclusions that threaten the diamond’s durability can lower a fancy colour diamond’s value significantly. Fancy colour diamonds can exhibit colour graining, which is considered an inclusion.

Fancy Diamond Cut

Size and shape are two aspects of cut that can influence a diamond’s colour. The larger a diamond is, or the deeper its pavilion, the farther light can travel in it. This could result in a richer, more intense colour.

The style of the cut can also influence the colour. Diamond cutters discovered that certain styles can intensify the yellow colour in diamonds that are toward the lower end of the D-to-Z colour-grading scale. When carefully fashioned as radiant cuts, many yellow-tinted stones can become fancy yellows when viewed face-up. This perceived improvement in colour increases the price per carat.

This 10.12 ct Fancy Vivid yellow pear shape illustrates the effect a fancy shape can have on intensifying the colour in a yellow diamond. Courtesy the Scarselli Family

Pearl and Diamond Designs Fancy Diamond Cut

Fancy colour diamonds are often cut into fancy shapes.

Fancy Diamond Carat Weight

As with diamonds in the normal D-to-Z colour range, large fancy colour diamonds are rarer and more valuable than small ones.

Pearl and Diamond Designs Fancy Colour Diamonds

Do you have any more questions about fancy diamonds? Please contact us at info@pearlanddiamonddesigns.co.za or fill in the form below. We look forward to helping you find the perfect fancy diamond.