| Colored diamonds are high fashion nowadays. The | | | | create affordable gemstones. This is now normal |
| trend for wearing them started on the celebrity | | | | practice for most colored diamonds found in |
| Red Carpet, and when A-list figures, such as | | | | jewelry today. The process is known as color |
| Jennifer Lopez and Victoria Beckham received | | | | enhancement and involves treating clean diamonds |
| pink diamond engagement and eternity rings, | | | | with a combination of irradiation and safe electron |
| interest peaked. And where the celebrities go, | | | | accelerator technology (intense heat) to replicate |
| everyday fashion follows. But most colored | | | | exactly the process by which Mother Nature |
| diamonds these days do not have celebrity price | | | | forms fancy diamonds, only much quicker! This |
| tags. This is because they are normally treated | | | | process enhances natural diamonds to intense |
| by irradiation and temperature. So does this mean | | | | hues but does not alter, dissipate or hide internal |
| they are fake diamonds? | | | | flaws. |
| Although most diamonds are colorless, fancy | | | | The process yields a myriad of stunning colors |
| colored diamonds do form naturally in the Earth's | | | | including blue, green, red, orange, yellow, pink, |
| crust. But they are incredibly rare. Natural fancies | | | | purple and black diamonds, all of which are |
| get their color hues from different trace elements | | | | considered permanent. |
| present within the crystal structure of the | | | | These are real, mined diamonds, which have been |
| diamond. Trace nitrogen produces yellow | | | | treated with exactly the same conditions radiation |
| diamonds. Other trace elements produce different | | | | and high temperature conditions that would have |
| colors including red, green, yellow, orange, blue, | | | | produced a natural fancy in the Earth's crust. |
| pink, purple and violet as well as many shades in | | | | They are in every sense, real diamonds. The real |
| between, and the color can be intense (saturated) | | | | beauty and popularity of these gemstones lies in |
| or faint. | | | | the fact that they combine the unmistakable |
| But their very rarity makes natural fancies | | | | dazzle and brilliance of a diamond with the color |
| prohibitively expensive for many. In fact some of | | | | saturation of colored gems, like rubies and |
| the most famous diamonds in the world are | | | | emeralds. |
| natural fancies. The fabled Hope diamond, for | | | | However, there are laboratory created faux |
| example, is one of the most perfect examples of | | | | fancies too, where the diamond crystal was |
| a blue diamond. The Tiffany diamond is yellow. | | | | grown in a laboratory and not mined. So when |
| Both are priceless. | | | | you shop for colored diamond jewelry ask about |
| To satisfy the demand for the stunning look of a | | | | the origin of the gemstones, and check the |
| fancy, but at more affordable prices, gemologists | | | | certificate of origin to verify authenticity. Make |
| have pioneered techniques to enable them to | | | | sure you know what you are buying. |