Fashion Jewelry

What Color is a Real Diamond?

Few people know that diamonds occur naturally in a variety of colors. Some are steel gray, while others are white, blue, yellow, orange, red, green, pink to purple, brown, and even black!  Colored diamonds have impurities or structural defects that cause the coloration. Pure diamonds are perfectly transparent and colorless. Diamonds are split into two main types and some subtypes, according to the nature of impurities present and how these impurities affect light absorption.

A ‘Type I’ diamond has nitrogen atoms as the main impurity. If the nitrogen atoms are in pairs they do not affect the diamond’s color; these are Type IaA. If the nitrogen atoms are in large even-numbered groups, they create a yellow to brown tint. About 98% of gem diamonds are type Ia, and most of these are a mixture of IaA and IaB material. If the nitrogen atoms are dispersed throughout the crystal in isolated sites (not paired or grouped), they give off an intense yellow or occasionally brown tint (Type Ib); the rare canary diamonds belong to this type, which represents only 0.1% of known natural diamonds. Have you seen a Canary Diamond? They can be quite stunning.

‘Type II’ diamonds don’t have nitrogen impurities. They absorb light in a different part of the spectrum from Type I diamonds. They also have differing fluorescence characteristics. A Type IIa diamond can be pink, red, or brown due to structural anomalies. They are very rare. Type IIb diamonds, which account for 0.1% of gem diamonds, are usually light blue due to scattered boron inside. A blue-grey color may also occur in Type Ia diamonds. There are also green diamonds, whose color is derived from exposure to varying quantities of radiation.

All are technically diamonds and all colors can be truly beautiful. Which are the best? The best diamond is the diamond that you love: The one that means something special to you.