Although most diamonds appear to be colourless (or white), they may actually have subtle yellow or brown tones that can only be seen when they are compared side by side to other diamonds. These variations in colour are caused by traces of other elements entering into the diamond’s atomic make up as they are formed in the intense conditions of the Earth’s crust. Colourless diamonds allow more light to pass through them and so emit a more radiant sparkle than coloured diamonds. This is what makes “sparklers” so valuable as jewellery.
To grade ‘whiteness’ (or colourlessness), a jewellery colour scale is used that starts at D (colourless) and continues down through the alphabet to stones with traces of light yellow or brown colouring. The first three grades of D, E and F are often called the collection colour and are of course the most valuable. Truly colourless diamonds are an absolute treat for the eyes and make the most beautiful diamond jewellery imaginable. Diamonds graded from G to I are graded as slightly less than colourless but will appear virtually colourless to anyone with an untrained eye.
Normally, colour being present in a diamond makes it less valuable, but some diamonds come out of the ground in incredibly vivid colours. The diamond industry’s term for these diamonds are “fancy” colours and they can be any colour from pink to green or even bright yellow. These diamonds are incredibly rare and valuable, and are a true prize of diamond jewellery.
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