Now for the rarest of the rare, the fancy color diamonds. These diamonds can and do cost many times the price of their white diamond counterparts. These naturally occurring fancy color diamonds are fewer than one in ten thousand and prized for their intensity or vibrant colors above all other factors. The traditional 4 C’s do not strictly apply when seeking these diamonds for purchase or investment.

The traditional factors for judging diamonds are different as you may see below.

Color

Intensity and vibrancy of color are paramount with these very rare and special diamonds. The greater the intensity, the greater the value. The scale for fancy colored diamonds ranges in increasing intensity from Faint, Very Light, Light, Fancy Light, Fancy, Fancy Intense, Fancy Vivid, Fancy Dark, and Fancy Deep.

At Karat we never enhance our colored diamonds by dying or irradiating them to produce artificial color.

Carat

Second only to color grade with regard to fancy colored diamonds is carat or weight. With large diamonds being amongst the rarest these fancy colored diamonds are exponentially rare in larger sizes and their prices will reflect that. Many of these larger fancy colored diamonds are purchased purely for investment purposes and may never be mounted in jewelry.

Clarity

Intensely colored diamonds display their flaws much less than non-colored diamonds. The vibrant colors cover flaws that otherwise would impact the beauty or value of a traditional diamond.

Cut

While colorless diamonds are cut to maximize their brilliance these fancy diamond are cut to maximize their color. They are also brilliant and full of sparkle however the central focus is to promote the color when cutting these valuable beauties.

Shape

It is common to cut a fancy color diamond into a fancy shape as well. This is done for several reasons. The first is to maximize the color of the extraordinarily rare diamond. It is also common practice to give this unique colored diamond a unique shape to accentuate its rare qualities. Finally these are exponentially more valuable roughs and great care is taken to produce the largest diamond possible.

If you have a desire for a specific color or shape of a fancy cut diamond please contact our expert staff.

Certification

At Karat, all of our diamonds are independently graded and certified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or the American Gem Society (AGS). This assures our customers that the diamonds color has not been artificially enhanced and denotes its natural origin. Each diamond is accompanied by it unique certificate for your assurance.

Considerations When Setting Fancy Color Diamonds

With the focus of the fancy diamonds relying so heavily upon color there are some proven suggestions that promote that very precious colors enjoyment.

You should mount yellow diamonds in 18kt yellow metal settings to enhance them

Pink diamonds are most vibrant when mounted in rose gold.

Blue diamond’s colors are most prominent when placed in white gold or platinum settings.

Should you have any questions please contact our diamond consultants. We would be happy to assist you with this wonderful task.