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Diamond
Color
On
April 28, 1987, a 0.95 carat diamond was sold for $880,000
at Christie's in New York. It contained two large flaws, one
of which was a deep cavity
in the table (top center facet) of the diamond. Despite its
flaws and small size, it set a new world record per carat
price for any gem sold at auction: $926,000 (reported by the
summer 1987 issue of Gems and Gemology).
Why
did that diamond command such a high price? Because its natural
color was an extremely rare, deep, purplish-red. Color plays
a significant role in determining the price of a diamond.
Many
people are surprised to learn that diamonds come in a wide
variety of colors including green, orange, yellow, blue, brown,
and black. But such diamonds are not very common, so they
have been given a special name--fancy color diamonds, meaning
diamonds .kith a natural body color other than light yellow,
light brown, or light gray.
What
color diamond, then, is best? That's a matter of personal
opinion. What color diamond is most expensive? Currently the
answer is purplish red; but natural green, purple, .and deep
blue are also unusually expensive. You're probably more familiar
with non-fancy Diamonds, the ones that don't show much color.
The most expensive diamonds in this category .ire those that
are colorless.
When
you look at diamonds in the jewelry stores, they may all seem
colorless. But if you look closely, you will notice that they
normally have slight tints of yellow, gray, or brown. The
strength of these tints partially determines the price of
the diamond.
The
more the tint :he lower the price, just the opposite of fancy
color diamonds. To best understand the effect ,f these tints
on diamond prices, you need to know how diamond color is categorized
in both -mall and large diamonds. First let's discuss the
broad color categories of small (1/4 carat or :ss) non-fancy
color diamonds.
Adeep
cavity
Impossible
to distinguish
Alphabetical
letters ranging
Rays
vary according
Chemical
or plastic
Indication
that color
The
wholesale price
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