Gemstones and especially natural diamonds have always amazed humankind in many ways. However, naturally colored diamonds have a different kind of fetish.

 

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

 

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

 

However, the formation process, material properties, and structural characteristics of naturally colored diamonds and colorless 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 diamond (be it colorless or colored).

 

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

 

Some colored diamonds get their color due to the added foreign impurities in the carbon atom crystallization process, such as yellow, brown, blue-colored diamonds. These types of colored diamonds are technically known as Allochromatic.

 

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

 

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

 

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

Where are colored diamonds mined?

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

 

Yellow Diamonds

 

Yellow is the not so rare color in diamonds. Yellow diamonds are the 2nd most prevalent diamond color after the obvious colorless diamonds.

 

Hence, in all diamond mines, yellow-colored 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, Sierra Leone.

 

Brown Diamonds

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Pink & Red Diamonds

 

Both pink and red-colored diamonds are one of the rarest naturally colored diamonds’ color grades.

 

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

 

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

 

Green Diamonds 

 

Naturally, green-colored 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 colored-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-colored 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, South Africa are the secondary source of naturally blue-colored diamonds.

 

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

The color grading system of the naturally colored diamonds:

Just like colorless diamonds, the quality of colored diamonds is analyzed and graded primarily based on the 4Cs: Cut, Carat, Color, and Clarity.

 

However, color is the deciding factor in assessing the value of colored diamonds. So, the color grading system of naturally colored 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 color. I.e., whether the diamond is naturally colored or its color is the result of any external treatments the diamond went through.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

• Hue:

 

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

 

But the additional colors (other than Dominant/Primary) of the diamonds are called secondary hues/tints/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 color in the diamond.

 

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

 

• Tone: 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Finally, after analyzing the overall face-up appearance of the naturally colored diamonds based on all the above-stated factors, the color grade of the diamond is fixed.

 

These color 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 colors, get your favorite one now…

After reading such exciting things about naturally colored 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 colored diamonds, which you can explore and buy after registering yourself on HK.CO!