Did you know that natural (also called “fancy”) diamonds can come in nearly every color of the rainbow? While the odds of a diamond having color are estimated at 1 in 10,000, rare brown, yellow, red, blue and purple diamonds exist, as well as diamonds of all sorts of colors in between.

#1 Pink diamonds are highly coveted. The Natural Diamond Council explains that diamonds obtain a pink color through a process called plastic deformation. The diamond’s crystal structure is compressed in such a way that it reflects red light.

#2 Pink diamonds (yes, there’s SO more to tell!) are apparently so rare that the amount recovered in one year would only fill a champagne flute.

#3 The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) tells us that brown diamonds became more popular in the 1980s when the industry began giving them romantic names like “champagne,” “cognac” and “chocolate.”

#4 The 41-carat Dresden green diamond is one of the rarest fancy diamonds in the world. The Metropolitan Museum of Art says the stone was most likely mined in India but was first referenced in Dresden, Germany, where it has been displayed for centuries.

#5 The famous 45.52-carat Hope Diamond was named after Henry Philip Hope. Passed down through various Hope family members for many years, it was sold to pay off debts in 1901. In 1958, famed jewelry retailer Harry Winston donated the diamond to the Smithsonian Institution.

#6 Billions of years ago, tiny amounts of nitrogen (yellow and orange shades), boron (blue) and hydrogen (violet) as well as natural radiation (green) contributed to the miracles that are mined today in parts of the world like Australia (pink), Siberia (purple), South America (green) and Southern Africa (blue).

#7 Diamonds that appear milky white instead of clear are considered white diamonds. Some fancy diamonds are one color with a tint of another.

#8 At more than 118 carats, the Delaire Sunrise yellow diamond is valued at more than $42 million!

#9 The cost of purchasing a colored diamond continues to increase; owning a natural fancy colored diamond is considered a good investment.

#10 According to the natural-colored diamond association (NCDIA), the rarest diamonds (and therefore the highest value) are intense/vivid shades of red, purple and orange. If you’re comparing two rare-colored diamonds and the color and intensity of the color are equal, the value then depends on the stone size. Not as quite as rare are champagne or black diamonds which are perhaps more affordable.

There’s so much to consider when purchasing a diamond, let alone a “fancy” one! Interested in learning more? Come on in and speak to David and his team of diamond specialists. David is one of the country’s most qualified and credentialed diamond experts.