April Birthstone – Diamond
Lucky ducks born in April get the perk of having diamonds as their birthstone. We've discussed diamonds in a few posts now, so we thought we should take this opportunity to go over another one of the four Cs: Diamonds303 – Color.
Diamonds come in a large range of colors; most common, however, is a light yellow or brown.
Traditionally, diamonds are graded by their LACK of color. The scale from the Gemological Institute of American ranges from “D” to “Z.” The letter “D” refers to a diamond that is colorless, i.e. no warmth or yellowish tones can be detected. Colorless diamonds are rarer and more desirable; therefore, they have a higher value than a, say, a pale yellow “M” colored diamond.
After the letter “Z”, the saturation level of yellow actually adds value, as the diamond is now considered a “fancy colored” diamond. The vivid yellow is a desired hue, rather than a paler yellow seen in a diamond that falls toward the bottom of the GIA color scale. One great example of the desirable, rich colored yellow can actually be found at Stall & Kessler’s! The pair of canary yellow diamond studs are accented beautifully by warm toned, yellow gold mountings.
Furthermore, any diamond that falls outside of the D-Z scale is considered to be a fancy-colored diamond. You may be wondering, “What colors can diamonds be naturally mined in?” The answer? All of them! The rarest color of diamond is red. It is so rare, in fact, that only about 30 of them have ever been submitted to the Gem Institute of America for grading. Following red, the next rarest color is blue, as seen in the Hope Diamond.
Colored diamonds are graded in order of increasing color strength, from Faint, Very Light, Light, Fancy Light and Fancy to Fancy Intense, Fancy Vivid, Fancy Dark and Fancy Deep. Fancy Intense and Fancy Vivid generally command higher prices.
A more budget friendly alternative can be found in lab grown fancy color diamonds. While still more rare and valuable than their counterparts on the D-Z scale, the price is significantly lower than a colored mined diamond, for those who would like the look at a more affordable price.
Colored diamonds are a fantastic way to incorporate a little more or your personality into and engagement ring without sacrificing durability, or in any other every day jewelry! That being said, colorless or near colorless diamonds are remain the most sought after, they bring a classic sparkle that goes with everything and never goes out of style.