Diamond Engagement Rings Don't Just Come In White

Diamond Engagement Rings Don’t Just Come in White: A Look at Fancy Coloured Diamonds for those who Want to be Different

Did you know that diamonds come in almost all colours of the rainbow? If you have always been familiar with the ‘colourless’ diamond everyone knows about, you might be surprised to find out that there are actually fancy coloured diamonds that are not only attractive, but exceedingly unique as well.

What are they, and how are they formed?

Mind you, fancy coloured diamonds are also diamonds – they’re authentic in every way. The only difference between fancy coloured diamonds and ‘traditional’ diamonds is that these diamonds have different colours, ranging from yellow to pink to violet, green, black, and brown. They’re found in nature and are not synthetic in any way.

Fancy coloured diamonds are formed under the ground for many years, and, because of other elements, form distinctive colourings. Diamonds are comprised of elements such as nitrogen, carbon, and boron, but often, additional elements result in different colours. For instance, the element boron is present in blue diamonds, whilst the element nitrogen is found in yellow diamonds. The greater the element present, the stronger the colour. So if a blue diamond is a darker, more brilliant blue, there must be a greater amount of boron in the stone. Of course, there are synthetic versions of fancy coloured stones as well, but the natural and original coloured diamond is still the best.

Where are they found?

There are some places in the world known for producing such fancy coloured diamonds. One such area is Australia, which has the Argyle mine (where most red and pink diamonds come from). In South Africa, there is also the Cullinan mine, where blue diamonds are found. Siberia, in Russia, is also known for producing purple diamonds.

Other interesting facts

Although fancy coloured diamonds come in colours such as pink, green, blue, yellow, orange, brown, and even grey and black, there are also some diamonds which are a combination of two colours – also called ‘over-tones’ or ‘scondery hues.’ Aside from this, there are also ‘chameleon’ diamonds which actually change colour when heated or when left in the dark – and, since they are rare, you can imagine how special they might be!

Popular coloured diamonds

Coloured diamonds first became noticed in the 70s, when yellow diamonds, also called Canary diamonds, became known. And, of course, one of the most famous diamond stones ever is actually blue – the Hope Diamond, which comes with its own interesting story as well.

Choosing coloured diamonds

If you are keen on buying coloured diamonds for a diamond engagement ring, you should know their three main attributes. These are the saturation, the hue, and the tone. The saturation is the purity or strength of the colour, whilst the tone refers to the darkness (or lightness) of the colour. Meanwhile, the hue refers to the colour’s tint in the stone.