BVLA

Colored diamonds are stunning. They exhibit a metallic flash unlike any other gemstone and beautifully saturated colors can be found.

There are two main causes of natural color in diamonds: the presence of elements normally foreign to the diamond, like nitrogen or boron, and imperfections in the gem’s atomic crystal structure.

The foreign elements and imperfections can act as color centers – which means they absorb certain hues from the light and reflect others back as the colors we see. The more color centers a diamond has, the more intense its color will be.

Naturally occurring colored diamonds are extremely rare. Therefore, certain techniques are used in the laboratory to unlock their hidden potential.

What the irradiation and HPHT process does

Irradiation or HPHT (high pressure high temperature) promote changes in the stone’s atomic structure in the laboratory. During this process, the diamond gains color. Irradiation or HTHP doesn’t ‘give’ a diamond color, but rather opens the door to its color secrets!

PINK & RED

These are by far the rarest colors seen in a diamond. They occur when the diamond becomes subjected to high temperatures and stress during formation. This process displaces many of the carbon atoms from their normal positions, resulting in an imperfect crystal lattice that creates red or pink colors. The color in the diamonds is concentrated in graining. The more graining inside the gem, the deeper its color. The underlying hues that can be found are either purple or brown.

YELLOW & ORANGE COGNAC

Yellow and Orange Cognac color enhanced diamonds are visibly similar to their natural counterparts, which derive their color primarily from the presence of nitrogen impurities. Our yellow diamonds come in two shades: Canary and Golden (shown here). Canary is characterized by brighter tones and Golden by warmer tones. When paired thoughtfully, Orange Cognac and Yellow Diamonds complement each other well in body jewelry. 

BLUE DIAMONDS

All enhanced Blue Diamonds are irradiated using the completely safe low energy acceleration process. Because Ice Blue Diamonds are created using the clearest diamonds, they tend to be the most expensive.

Vivid colored diamonds are truly beautiful, but to most of us, they are sadly out of reach due to their rarity. Scientists were driven to experiment with ways of enhancing the color. It took many years, but eventually using methods such as irradiation & HPHT, they came up with ways to create affordable diamonds of every color! There are many other colors available – see them all on our site.