The Allure Of Fancy Diamonds
by Jackie Bridgford
http://www.ablediamonds.com
Everyone knows what a diamond looks like - clear, briliant
sparkle that flashes fire with every touch of light. In
general, the most valuable diamonds are clear white, but
there is an exception to that. Jewelers recognize a class of
diamonds known as 'fancy', colored diamonds that are rare,
beautiful and valuable.
Fancy diamonds range in color from pale yellow to black,
with an endless variation of shadings between. While the
source of the color may be the same as the 'inclusions' that
detract from the value of clear diamonds, in fancies the
color is more than a tinge that discolors the purity of the
stone. In this case, the coloring is intense and
unmistakable under any light.
Diamonds and chocolate substitutes? The origin of the word
carat, the unit of measurement for diamonds and other gems,
is the same as the origin for the word 'carob', the seeds
from which a popular chocolate substitute is made. In the
earliest days of gem selling, carob seeds were used to
weight the other side of a pair of balance scales to
determine the weight of a gem stone.
While we often think of diamond pricing as being per carat,
that's a bit of a misconception. A 2 carat diamond won't be
priced at double a 1 carat one. Because larger diamonds are
more rare, you're likely to pay considerably more than
double for a larger size diamond.
By far the most common color for fancy diamonds is brown,
though few jewelers will use the word 'brown' to describe
the stones. Pale brown stones are often referred to as
champagne diamonds, and often have an effervescent quality
to their color. Deeper brown stones are often called cognac,
and share the golden brown color of the fiery liquor.
Because of their relatively common number, brown diamonds
are usually the least costly of the fancies.
A diamond's quality is judged on the '4 C's' - carat, color,
clarity and cut. Carats are described above. A high quality
diamond should be complately colorless. The clearer the
diamond, the more it will be worth. The final C, cut, refers
to the way that the stone is faceted and cut. While the
style of a diamond's cut may enhance its value, there is no
'more valuable' cut for a diamond.
There is one exception to that rule - fancy diamonds. Those
diamonds that are clearly red, blue, green or yellow are
extremely rare, and that rarity makes them extremely
valuable. Canary diamonds, for instance, are an intense
yellow, and are valued for their sparkle and fire. Pink
diamonds, mined in only one place in the world, are
exceedingly rare, and priced accordingly. A 3/4 carat fancy
intense pink diamond can easily cost $30,000 - without the
setting.
Yellow diamonds are another fairly common fancy type, but
the intensity of the yellow varies widely. The various
impurities that can cause colors are often also tinged with
yellow, giving rise to colors like olive and yellow brown.
Despite the rarity of colored diamonds larger than one
carat, the largest cut diamond in the world, the Golden
Jubilee, is a canary diamond.
A rough diamond resembles nothing so much as a greasy, grey
pebble. It takes the artistry of a jeweler to bring out the
brilliance and fire that is inherent in the stone. And, as
any jeweler will tell you, the right cut can make the
difference between a common stone and a breathtakingly
beautiful gem. The Round Cut has been the most popular
diamond cut for centuries, but the squared off Princess cut
is gaining in popularity. New tools like lasers are making
fancy shapes like hearts, birds and flowers more and more
common, though they are still rare.
The most popular cut for a diamond is round. Over 60% of all
diamonds in jewelry are a round cut. It's the favored choice
for an engagement ring, but the marquise and emerald cuts
are gaining in popularity. A newer cut, the princess cut, is
also growing more popular. New laser cutting techniques have
opened up new possibilities, though, and it's now possible
to create diamond cuts in many shapes, including hearts,
birds and flowers.
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