Diamond Color

How are different colored diamonds formed? How much does a diamond's color impact the overall price?

Diamond Color's Impact on Price

The GIA rates diamond color on a scale of D to Z.  But how much does each increase in color grade cost?  The chart below shows the lowest priced diamond from each of these retailers, where all of the diamonds are round, 1-carat, VS2-clarity "very good" cut.  Color categories are indicated across the top.

This data does not indicate an easy-to-decipher pattern.  In some cases, the price even decreases for an upgrade in color category within one retailer's pricing.  The lesson to draw from this is perhaps to go into the loose diamond shopping experience with a range of color grades in mind.  That way the shopper will not accidentally ignore a "whiter" diamond that is less expensive than the primary diamond under consideration.

How are Colored Diamonds Formed?

Even a one-carat diamond requires billions of carbon atoms to bond, and all of those atoms must be carbon to create a colorless diamond. The slightest quirk creates a colored diamond: a bit of boron makes a blue diamond; nitrogen makes a yellow diamond; natural radiation form nearby rocks trap electrons to create a green surface color; pink or red shades are thought to be due to changes to the electron structure during the voyage to the surface.

Laboratories can create colored diamonds by mimicking the tricks nature plays. Laboratories can also perform color treatments on diamonds to enhance their color. A slightly yellow diamond needs a thin coat of blue to neutralize the yellow and give the perception of a higher color grade. Irradiation can turn a diamond more yellow, brown, blue, green, pink, or red.

Whether nature or a laboratory creates the colored diamond, it tends to come with a higher asking price in the diamond market.