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4 C's of Diamonds - Color / Fancy Colored
 If
you love the sparkle and brilliance of a diamond, and
are dazzled by the alluring hues of colored gemstones
like rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, then maybe it’s
time for you to consider a growing trend in the world
of jewelry – colored diamonds.
Historically, celebrities, royalty, and other aristocrats
have worn these unique gemstones, but times are changing
and these rare gifts from nature are rapidly gaining
popularity among today’s jewelry lovers as well.
Deep blues, rich reds, and glorious greens are just
a few of the colors that make up the rainbow of what
are often called “fancy colored diamonds.”
The increased popularity in colored diamonds can be
illustrated by the surge of requests for grading of
these gemstones at the Gemological Institute of America
(GIA), the world’s foremost authority in gemology.
GIA has experienced a 102 percent increase in demand
for colored diamond services since 1999, according to
Tom Yonelunas, chief executive officer of the GIA Gem
Trade Laboratory.
“Although colored diamonds have been around for
decades,” Yonelunas said, “the dramatic increase
in their place in the consumer market in the last two
to three years is unprecedented.”
Celebrity fascination with fancy colors may account
for the sudden spiral in popularity. Whoopi Goldberg
wore yellow diamonds to the 1999 Academy awards, Heather
Locklear wore pink diamonds to the 2000 Golden Globes,
and, at last year’s Academy Awards, presenter Salma
Hayek wore a 6.17-carat, fancy-intense pink diamond
ring, while actress Julianne Moore wore a 7.52-carat,
fancy-vivid yellow diamond.
In 1953, GIA created the International Diamond Grading
System™, which is recognized today worldwide by
virtually every professional jeweler in the industry.
This system rates diamonds based on the 4Cs – color,
clarity, cut, and carat weight. The GIA color scale
ranges from D, which is absolutely colorless, all the
way to Z, which includes diamonds that are light yellow
and brown in color. Yellow and brown Diamonds that fall
out of the D through Z color range, as well as diamonds
of other colors, such as blue, pink or green, are categorized
by GIA as colored diamonds or, as many people in the
jewelry trade refer to them, “Fancy Colors.”
The grading of colored diamonds is conducted by a team
of highly specialized GIA gemologists who examine the
diamonds utilizing comparison masters. GIA’s nine-tiered
rating system for color ranges from Faint to Fancy Vivid.
Among the most famous colored diamonds are the Hope,
a 45.52-carat blue diamond at the Smithsonian Institution
– graded as Fancy Deep gray blue on the GIA scale
– and the 41-carat Dresden Green Diamond, both
fabled in their cultural history.
Naturally occurring colored diamonds, such as the Hope
and Dresden, are very rare and therefore command top
prices; diamonds that have been color-altered by laboratory
treatment are less rare, and therefore less valuable.
The “origin of color” of a colored diamond
(that is, whether its color is natural or laboratory-treated)
is disclosed on a GIA Grading Report.
Article Courtesy of the Gemological Institute of
America®
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