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Loose DiamondsIf you’ve ever seen a yellow, blue, pink or other colored diamond, you may wonder how it came to be. Certain varieties are lab grown and manmade, offering a greater spectrum of shades in a growing market.

For natural diamonds, the colors result from variance in the chemical process, which is why these shades are significantly rarer than clear diamonds.

Just how rare are they? It’s estimated that only a handful out of every 100,000 diamonds will have some degree of color variation, some subtle and others more saturated. The difference is better viewed when looking at a cut diamond from the top down.

A colorless or clear diamond reflects its crystal structure. One that’s exactly precise will be fully transparent, yet this factor is also rare. More often than not, a diamond will have some inclusions, the more of which can alter how light passes through the stone.

This last aspect can also influence color, changing the way wavelengths pass through or are absorbed by the stone. Creating a different color often comes down to the inclusion of another element, a change in the crystal structure or outside particles.

Nitrogen

The most common source of colored diamonds is nitrogen within the stone’s chemical makeup and structure. When nitrogen atoms substitute carbon within the crystal lattice, blue wavelengths of light don’t pass through the stone, but are absorbed.

In turn, the stone is more likely to appear yellow, although this chemical change can also produce brown and rare orange diamonds.

Radiation

Natural diamonds take millions of years to form, exposed to various forces and other elements over this period. Among them, exposure to radioactive minerals and their particles also alters the carbon lattice structure. This effect removes certain carbon atoms from their expected pattern, causing red light to be absorbed and green to pass though.

As a result, diamonds that have gone through this process during their lengthy history tend to look bluish or green in appearance.

Structural Variation

High temperatures and pressure, perhaps due to plate shifts within the Earth, can exert enough force to alter a diamond’s crystal structure or lattice. Specifically, these forces cause the diamond’s planes to slip, creating a parallel structure and more color saturation.

This change has a few potential outcomes: Brown diamonds often result, but in some cases, the stone appears red or pink.

Mineral Inclusions

In general, inclusions change how light passes through a diamond. However, the effects are based on the mineral, how large the particles are and how evenly they’re distributed. Common variations include:

  • Black Diamonds: A black or gray diamond is often the product of graphite, hematite or pyrite inclusions. The smaller the particles and the more evenly distributed they are, the more intense the color appears.
  • Blue Diamonds: One of the rarest colored diamonds available, blue diamonds occur through the inclusion of boron or, if the stone is slightly gray, hydrogen.

If you’re looking for a particular color, you’ll find a great selection of loose fancy diamonds at Hannoush Jewelers of Connecticut. Begin your search online or visit one of our convenient store locations today.