All about Fancy Colored Diamonds

 When a diamond sparkles with brilliant, intense color, it is a gem of great rarity and beauty. These extraordinary gems are known as "Fancy Colored Diamonds". If you did not know that diamonds came in colors, they do and are very rare. Only 1% of the diamonds mined are naturally colored diamonds. The two most famous diamonds in the world are colored diamonds. The Tiffany Diamond is a magnificent Fancy Yellow, 128.54 carat diamond and the Hope Diamond is a stunning blue. The most expensive diamond per carat weight is a 1 carat red valued at around $2.2 million. The rarest and most valuable colored diamonds are red, blue, pink and green.

Fancy Colored Diamonds have proven to be a sound investment. Most Canadians and Americans are not even aware of the phenomenon of Fancy Colored Diamonds because most of the highly graded colored diamonds are purchased in Europe. Europeans consider colored diamonds the same as "money in the bank". They are the best form of portable wealth in the world today, and they have a stunning track record. Pinks and Blues have increased so substantially that they are out of reach for most investors. A high quality Pink or Blue Fancy Colored Diamond has increased from $10,000.00 a carat in 1970 to $400,000.00 a carat today. That is an amazing return on investment and Fancy Colored Diamonds have NEVER decreased in price on a wholesale level in 35 years. Today, colored diamonds are so rare that prices keep escalating.

Color Color Color

Simply, the most important factor when evaluating a Colored Diamond is the intensity of the color. The more intense the color, the more valuable the diamond is. The grading scale for Fancy Colored Diamonds is: "Faint", "Very Light", "Light", "Fancy Light", "Fancy", "Fancy Intense", "Fancy Deep", "Fancy Vivid". In a white diamond clarity is very important, and An “SI”, "VS" or "VVS" is what you would look for. However, in a colored diamond clarity is not the most important factor. A Fancy Colored Diamond that is graded SI is still considered "eye clean", meaning that the inclusions cannot be seen with the naked eye. Also, small pinpoints or feathers do not usually affect Fancy Colors due to the deep coloring of the diamond. Fancy Colored Diamonds that are graded  VVS or FLAWLESS are uncommon in nature and command greater prices.

Cut and Shape 

Fancy Colored Diamonds achieve maximum brilliance when cut to the most ideal and accurate proportions. A good cut gives a Fancy Colored Diamond sparkle and brings out the most intense color possible. The Cutter considers its inclusions, which can enhance the diamond's color. Facets and angles also give color to the diamond, so the Master Cutter must consider which shape would best bring out the diamond's color. The most popular shapes are round/brilliant, oval, radiant, cushion, princess, and the heart.

Pink Diamonds

Natural Pink Diamonds are very rare and extremely valuable. They account for less than 1% of the mines overall production. No wonder Pink Diamonds have increased from $10,000.00 a carat to over $400,000.00 a carat. Pink Diamonds are divided into 5 color catagories: Pink, Purplish Pink, Brownish Pink, Orangey Pink, and Pink Champagne. Fancy Intense Pinks are very rare and one of the most beautiful diamonds in existance today. Pink Diamonds with no secondary coloring are the rarest and most expensive of all Pink Diamonds. The color pink ranges from "Faint" to "Fancy Intense and Vivid Pink", by far the rarest and most valuable.

Yellows

The Tiffany Diamond is one of the largest Fancy Yellow Diamonds ever discovered. It weighed 287.42 carats in the rough when it was discovered in 1878 in the Kimberly mines in South Africa, and was cut to a cushion shape of 128.54 carats. It is rumored to be valued at $250,000,000.00. The Kimberly Octahedron is the largest diamond in the world at 616 carats, and is also a yellow diamond.
Natural Intense Fancy Yellow Diamonds are so rare that most jewelers have never seen one and will never own one. Among the 100 largest diamonds in the world about 30 are yellow, and just one is a Fancy Yellow.
Fancy Yellow, Fancy Intense Yellow and Fancy Vivid Yellows are becoming very difficult to find. Yellow diamonds will increase in price much more than any other colored diamond percentage wise. While Pinks and Blues have made huge price increases over the past 30 years and have increased from $10,000.00 a carat to $400,000.00 a carat, Yellow diamonds are still affordable and prices should increase substantially as high quality Yellow diamonds become more and more scarce.