A fancy diamond is a natural coloured diamond, found in a wide range of hues, including red, green, purple, violet, orange blue and pink. These diamonds are amongst the most rare and beautiful diamonds that nature has to offer. In fact, out of the approximately 80 000 carats of rough diamonds mined every year, only 0.001% are regarded as fancy colours. These beautiful colours are the result of the differing processes experience in their formation, for example: - Yellow diamonds are the result of the presence of nitrogen in the diamond's creation
- Green diamonds are created though the diamond’s exposure to irradiation
- Pink and red diamonds are considered to be the result
of manganese inclusions within the diamond
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Unlike clear diamonds, the grading of fancy diamonds improves in relation to a greater presence of strong colours. Fancy coloured diamond grading differs from clear diamond grading and a few simple descriptions will be useful in analyzing fancy coloured diamonds:
Where there is a predominant colour the diamond is named in this colour, for example "pink". If there is a secondary colour it is described with an "ish" as in "greenish pink". This is described as a modifying colour. Where a coloured diamond has two colours that are equally present they are both named, for example "purple pink". Fancy colours vary from "faint" to "intense". These ranges in intensity are graded, with higher intensities of colour increasing the value of the diamond.
 Pink diamonds ranging in intensity from fancy intense to faint.  Red | | Pink | | | | Red is by far the rarest of all coloured diamonds. Fewer than 20 stones have so far been certified as red diamonds. Some of these have fetched over a million dollars per carat, although most other coloured diamonds fetch between five to six figures per carat. | Pink diamonds are rare and highly desired. Pink diamonds of higher intensity are the most rare and command very high prices. Most pink diamonds mined are faint to light coloured (pastel coloured). Many of the deep coloured pink diamonds come from the Argyle mine in Australia. |  | Yellow | | Blue | | | | Yellow is one of the most familiar names known aside from white "colourless" diamonds. Canary is a term commonly used to describe intense yellow diamonds. Some of the yellows with higher intensity of colour (Fancy Vivid Yellow) are as rare as the pinks and blues and command unusually high prices. | Natural blue colour is one of the rarest of fancy colour diamonds. These diamonds are amongst the most sought after by collectors. Colour can range from faint to a very deep blue, and blue diamonds can command even higher prices than pink diamonds. | | Green | | Orange | | | | Green diamonds with no other secondary hues or modifiers are some of the rarest, and depending on intensity and purity of colour, can command astronomical prices. Most green diamonds have either grey, brown or yellow modifiers. | Orange diamonds are not as rare as the red or green daimonds. Most orange coloured diamonds have strong yellow or brown modifiers. Pastel coloured orange diamonds are of similar value s pastel pinks and some blues. | | Purple | | Brown | | | | Purple diamonds with no secondary hues are very rare. Most of these diamonds are less than one carat in size and are very seldom found in dark to vivid lilac colours. Most purple diamonds exhibit needle-like colour zones. | These are the most widely available and surprisingly affordable coloured diamonds. They provide a beautiful low cost alternative to pink, blue, grey, green or yellow diamonds. Common names used to describe brown colour are: champagne, chocolate, coffee, golden, honey, bronze, cognac, etc. | | Grey | | Black | | | | Diamonds with grey as the primary dominant colour are also unique. These diamonds are comparitively reasonably priced (in the high four to low fice figures per carat). | Black diamonds are not transparent, and do not show fire (flashes of colour) as other diamonds, but can be extremely expensive where they are in the dark to vivid colour ranges. Black diamonds may give off secondary colour hues of grey or white. | |
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