Gemstones and especially natural diamonds have always amazed humankind in many ways. However, naturally coloured diamonds have a different kind of fetish. Afterall all, it’s all about the alluring prismatic sparkle of Naturally Colored Diamonds

 

While it is normal for people to fall for the beauty of colourless diamonds, nothing can beat the allure of aesthetically pleasing and rarest of the rare naturally coloured diamonds.

 

These naturally coloured diamonds come in all colours of the rainbow spectrum and speak deep and mysterious language, a language of dreams.

 

However, the formation process, material properties, and structural characteristics of naturally coloured diamonds and colourless diamonds are highly similar.

 

Thousands of miles below the earth’s surface, under extremely high pressure and temperature, carbon atoms bond as the fierce crystalline structure known as a diamond (be it colourless or coloured).

 

You must be wondering, if all else is the same, then what makes coloured diamonds different from colourless diamonds, and how do diamonds get such vibrant colours naturally?

 

Some coloured diamonds get their colour due to the added foreign impurities in the carbon atom crystallisation process, such as yellow, brown, and blue-coloured diamonds. These types of coloured diamonds are technically known as allochromatic.

 

Apart from that, some coloured diamonds get their colour due to internal distortions/refraction of incoming visible light, such as red, pink, and green-coloured diamonds. These types of coloured diamonds are technically known as idiochromatic.

 

Do you want to know how your favourite coloured diamonds get their colours? Then read our dedicated blog that in-depth explains the origin of all coloured diamonds. Click here to read.

 

Going forward, let us see which mines in the world supply naturally coloured diamonds:

Where are coloured diamonds mined?

As already stated, naturally coloured diamonds are rare in nature. So, there are only a few mines in the world that produce naturally coloured diamonds. Let us see each of them in detail:

 

Yellow Diamonds

 

Yellow is the not-so-rare colour in diamonds. Yellow diamonds are the 2nd most prevalent diamond colour after the obvious colourless diamonds.

 

Hence, in all diamond mines, yellow-coloured diamonds are available in even the smallest quantity. 

 

However, the most famous mines where large quantities of yellow diamonds are produced are located in Angola, Australia (Argyle mine), Brazil, Central Africa, and Sierra Leone.

 

Brown Diamonds

 

After yellow diamonds, brown diamonds are the most commonly (and abundantly) found naturally coloured diamonds.

 

You might be surprised to know that 80% of gem-quality diamonds produced in the Argyle mine of Australia are brown-coloured diamonds.

 

Apart from this, a few Alrosa mines in Russia also produce significant quantities of brown diamonds.

 

Pink & Red Diamonds

 

Both pink and red-coloured diamonds are one of the rarest naturally coloured diamonds’ colour grades.

 

Today, Lulo alluvial projects in Angola, the Argyle mine of Australia, the Minas Gerais area of Brazil, the Premier mine in South Africa, and the Williamson mine in Tanzania produce pink/red diamonds.

 

Also, the Lomonosov, Yakutia, and Arkhangelsk Mines of Alrosa in Russia occasionally produce pink-coloured diamonds.

 

Green Diamonds 

 

Naturally, green-coloured diamonds are the rarest diamonds today. Earlier, the Golconda mines in India have been a historical source for a few naturally green diamonds.

 

Today, these diamonds are occasionally discovered in the various mines in Brazil, Central & South Africa, Guyana, Russia, Zimbabwe, etc.

 

Violet Diamonds 

 

As of today, less than 100 carats of naturally violet-coloured diamonds are mined all over the world.

 

The Argyle Mine of Western Australia is famous as the most relentless source of natural diamonds with a pure violet hue.

 

Purple Diamonds

 

Alrosa is the primary source for naturally purple diamonds in their Siberian deposits.

 

Blue Diamonds

 

The Cullinan Mine of South Africa is the primary source of naturally blue-coloured diamonds. Even the Lomonosov deposits of Alrosa in Russia produce a small number of natural blue diamonds.

 

Apart from these two primary sources, various mines in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Russia, Sierra Leone, and South Africa are the secondary source of naturally blue-coloured diamonds.

 

[Please Note: The technical details about the sources of naturally colored diamonds are directly taken from the website of respective diamond mines.]

The colour grading system of the naturally coloured diamonds:

Just like colourless diamonds, the quality of coloured diamonds is analysed and graded primarily based on the 4Cs: cut, carat, colour, and clarity.

 

However, colour is the deciding factor in assessing the value of coloured diamonds. So, the colour grading system of naturally coloured diamonds is unique and more detailed.

 

Let us see in detail:

 

First of all, the most crucial aspect to look for is the origin of diamond colour. I.e., whether the diamond is naturally coloured or its colour is the result of any external treatments the diamond went through.

 

After verifying the origin of the colour in diamonds, analysing the distribution of that colour & its concentration in the diamond (even/uneven) is crucial.

 

After these two analyses, the diamond gets its colour grade depending upon the hue, saturation, and tone of the diamond colour.

 

Before heading forward to understand these colour grades in detail, let us explain: what does it mean by hue, saturation, and tone?

 

• Hue:

 

Hue is the dominant (primary) colour of the diamond. However, a diamond can also consist of more than one colour within itself.

 

But the additional colours (other than dominant/primary) of the diamonds are called secondary hues, tints, or modifiers.

 

For example, if a yellow diamond had a green tint, it would be described as a greenish-yellow diamond.

 

• Saturation:

 

Saturation refers to the intensity (solid or diluted) of the hue of the primary colour in the diamond.

 

The saturation of the diamond colour hue ranges from light to intense to vivid to dark to deep in grading.

 

• Tone:

 

Tone refers to the measure of the light or dark appearance of the diamond.

 

For example, if you mix a slight white colour in the one red colour palate and a little black colour in the other red colour palate.

 

Both palates have the same hue colour, which is red. The tone of the first palate is light, and that of the other palate is dark.

 

Finally, after analysing the overall face-up appearance of the naturally coloured diamonds based on all the above-stated factors, the colour grade of the diamond is fixed.

`

These colour grades range from Faint, Very Light, Light, Fancy Light, Fancy, Fancy Intense, Fancy Vivid, Fancy Dark, and Fancy Deep.

Life is all about living in colours; get your favourite one now…

After reading such exciting things about naturally coloured diamonds, no one of us can resist buying them.

 

Well, you don’t have to go anywhere else!

 

HK also has some incredibly alluring pieces of naturally coloured diamonds, which you can explore and buy after registering yourself on https://www.hk.co/!