Natural or Enhanced Colored Diamonds read this article and find out the difference

Everyone is familiar with the colorless diamonds that we see everyday in wedding, and anniversary rings. They are usually full of fire, brilliance and sparkle as the light hits the diamond at different angles, but did you know there are many other colors that diamonds can come in. Some of these are natural and usually very expensive, others have been treated to bring out spectacular colors from Blues to Greens to Pinks, Reds, Yellows, and Purple.

The diamonds that have colors that fall outside of the grading standard D-Z color range are called Fancy Colored Diamonds. Let us look at the D-Z color range, these are graded through the pavilion (face down) as this is a universally accepted grading system that measures the absence of color (yellow) in a diamond.

D-F____________Colorless
G-J____________Near Colorless
K-M____________Faint Yellow Color
N-R____________Very Light Yellow Color
S-Z____________Light Yellow Color

The most prized and most valuable are the Colorless (D-F), with most commercial diamonds that you will find in jewelry stores fall into the G-H-I range. When you look at diamonds in this range, face up; it will look colorless to you.

Colored diamonds are now a very important part of the Jewellery business as they offer something different, but are still the hardest gemstone known to man and therefore wear exceptionally well. There are both natural and color enhanced (treated) diamonds that you will see in jewellery. Natural Colored diamonds other than Brown, Black or Grey are rare and usually are very expensive with a Fancy Vivid Pink being the most valuable. Colored diamonds are graded face up using Hue, Tone, Saturation and Depth of Color and grading ranges from Faint to Fancy Deep.

One of the most famous Natural Colored Diamonds is the "The Hope", a Fancy Deep greyish Blue that weighs in at 45.52 carats. The diamond has a long history from the 17th century and has been owned by many famous people including Louise XIV, Henry Philip Hope, Evalyn Walsh McLean and Harry Winston who in 1958 donated it to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. where is on public display today.

For most of us the cost of Natural Colored Diamonds can be prohibitive, however, we can still purchase treated diamonds that show stunning colors. The most common and stable of these treatments today is irradiation, as it penetrates the diamond and is usually permanent. The only caution is to make sure that the goldsmith that does any repairs on the ring knows the diamond is treated, as heat from a soldering torch can impact the color. Irradiation is safe, as today’s process makes sure there is no residual radiation left in the diamond. This process was first used back in 1904 and today enhanced diamonds are a cost effect way to get the beautiful colors in diamonds, without buying natural colored diamonds.

You will see today many colored diamonds offered in jewellers, and it is incumbent upon the seller to inform his customer that he is purchasing enhanced diamonds. You will find colors like, blue, green, purple, pink, yellows, browns, and reds all waiting for you to add them to your jewellery collection.

Maybe, your next ring or pair of earrings will be Ocean Blue Diamonds, and you will be the envy of all your friends.


Please visit us at Jewels by Truros

Derek Parnell is a Graduate Gemologist (GIA) and can be contacted at Jewels by Truros a division of Truros Corporation.

Buying an Emerald. What you should know before you make your purchase.

They say there is nothing in the world like a landscape of Emerald Green, take Ireland or as many know it, the Emerald Isle. The lush green landscape is used synonymously with an Emerald to tell people of its beautiful Green Color.

Egypt was the major source for Emeralds until the 16th Century, then the Spanish heard of the Emerald mines in South America. The Incas gave offerings of Emeralds to their gods, and tried to keep the mines a secret from the Spanish invaders. However, the Spanish did locate these mines and ship these rare and beautiful gemstones back to Europe. Today it is still one of the most desired of the green gemstones in the world, and flawless Emeralds can sometimes commend higher prices than flawless diamonds.

So what does impact the value of an Emerald? Color and Clarity are two of most important factors when looking at an Emerald.

Color. The most prized color for Emerald is a bluish Green to Green, with a strong Saturation and medium tone. Emeralds are a variety of Beryl; there are many other different varieties of Green Beryl that sometimes are called Emeralds incorrectly. A seller who is a gemologist will be able to make sure that you are purchasing an Emerald and not Green Beryl. Below are some of the trade terms you will hear when you are looking for an Emerald, as with all trade terms they are either over used or sometimes incorrectly used.

The term Columbian is used to describe the most valuable and rare color of Emerald, bluish green to green with strong or vivid saturation.

The term Zambian is used to describe Emeralds that have a darker and more bluish color than Columbian and usually have a greater clarity.

The term Sandawana is used to describe smaller brighter intense green Emeralds that originate in the Sandawana district.

The term Brazilian is used for Emeralds that are lighter in color and have a low saturation; you will see a lot of these available in jewelry stores.

The above terms can only be used as a guideline as it is possible to find higher quality Emeralds in Brazil or any of the other locations, however they are not as readily available in the quantity and quality of the Emeralds from Columbia. In your quest for your Emerald you might find your seller calling a bluish Green Emerald that comes from Brazil, a Columbian Emerald and that is incorrect.


Clarity in Emeralds have a greater propensity for inclusion than a lot of other gemstones that are sold or made into Jewelry, and flawless Emeralds are very rare and expensive. So do not be concerned if you are being shown Emeralds with inclusions, as they are very common. It is important that the inclusions in the Emerald you are looking at does not distract from its beauty to you. The industry and gemologists use the following clarity terms for Emerald inclusions; Slightly, Moderately or Heavily Included, these levels of inclusions characteristics can be best described as following


Lightly Include, Noticeable inclusions that are apparent to the unaided eye.

Moderately Included, Obvious inclusions very apparent to the unaided eye

Heavily Include, Obvious and can have a negative effect on the appearance and durability


Treatments. It is important that you are aware of the treatments any gemstone has, but in particular Emeralds as they often have fracture filling or dying to make them more pleasing to the eye of the customer. In 1997, the Dateline TV Show produced a segment of their show on how established jewellers were selling fracture filled Emeralds to clients and not disclosing any treatments. Some of the confusion was due to jewellers not being gemologists and taking the word of their suppliers other times it was a case of the selling not disclosing the facts to the buyer. Since that time we have seen a greater push by regulators to have sellers fully disclose treatments.

Fracture Filling is the most common treatment used on Emeralds and is achieved by using various oils in the fractures that reach the surface of the gemstone. Another method is to use resins, which are a more permanent way of filling fractures compared to oils that can evaporate or change color over time.

A seller who is a gemologist will be able to identify treatments to Emeralds for you. The majority of sellers will inform you of any treatment based on their knowledge, if your seller is a gemologist then you know they have the training and skill to be able to identify such treatments.

Emeralds will still be one of the most desired gemstones available today, and with the information above you will be able to make a better decision on who you purchase your Emerald from, what treatments it might have and know where the most valuable emeralds come from.


Please visit us at Jewels by Truros

Derek Parnell is a Graduate Gemologist (GIA) and can be contacted at Jewels by Truros a division of Truros Corporation.