Fancy Diamonds:

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Colored Diamond Engagement Rings

Fancy diamonds are diamonds that are naturally colored. It's the actual term used for diamonds that contain enough intensity of color to be desirable and could never be mistaken for an off-color white diamond.

In other words, colored diamond engagement rings should never look like a poor quality white diamond ring.

A good quality fancy diamond will carry a hefty price tag although all colors are not priced equally.

True natural colored diamonds are extremely hard to come by and only very specialized jewelers will carry the certified precious stones because they are so rare and expensive.

Imagine that the total amount of fancy diamonds mined across the entire planet represents less than one percent of all diamonds mined every year. It's no wonder that such a big fuss is made over colored diamond engagement rings.

There are very strict standards for a diamond to be classified as naturally colored so make sure that any stone you are looking at comes with certification from an independent gemological institute such as the GIA, HRD (in Europe), or the International Gemological Institute.

Now, let's take a look at some of the more common stones found in colored diamond engagement rings.

Blue Diamonds: The Blue Diamond Ring

Loose blue diamonds are very expensive because they are so rare. They are usually classified into two main color categories: blue-grey and blue-green, both of which may have grey undertones.

Learn about: Blue Diamond Engagement Rings

Pink Diamonds: The Pink Diamond Ring

The pink diamond is probably the most popular of all for colored diamond engagement rings. Most of these pink precious gems come from the Argyle mine in Australia and have a laser inscription. So, Think Pink!

Learn about: Pink Diamond Engagement Rings

Yellow Diamonds: The Yellow Diamond Ring

Out of all the fancy colored diamonds, the yellow diamond is probably the best known. Natural fancy yellow diamonds can also be called Canary Diamonds because of their distinct features and coloring.

Learn about: Yellow Diamond Engagement Rings

Champagne Diamonds: Chocolate Diamonds

Champagne diamonds are also called chocolate diamonds and belong to the brown family of diamonds. They can range in color from light champagnes to rich cognacs and can be quite striking when paired with other color stones.

Learn about: Champagne Diamond Engagement Rings

Black Diamonds: Black Diamond Engagement Rings

Black diamonds have become increasingly popular over the years and are often thought of as exotic, mostly because of their rich pure color. They don't have the transparency of the other colored diamonds but are very beautiful in their own right.

Learn about: Black Diamond Engagement Rings

Like with all diamonds, the price of a fancy colored diamond will be determined by the 4Cs.

Real fancy diamonds will be graded and certified. They will come with a personal profile or ID which will include an identification number, measurements, and specifics on weight, shape, symmetry, clarity, etc...

So, if you're looking at colored diamond engagement rings with stones that don't have this type of accompanying documentation, you're likely being scammed!

As we've said before, it always gets back to the 4Cs of diamonds, although in the case of colored diamonds there are some variations on the standards because colored diamonds are all about color while white diamonds are all about having no color.

Given that, a fancy diamond is polished differently because the goal is to emphasize the color as much as possible, as opposed to white diamonds, where the intent is to mask any imperfections in color and make them as colorless as possible.

In fact, the stronger and more vivid the color, the bigger the price tag! Also the purer and more intense the color, the bigger the price tag!

Basically, all natural fancy colored diamonds come with a very big price tag so you better have pretty deep pockets if your heart is set on a colored diamond engagement ring.

Fancy Colored Diamond Cost

In terms of cost, the least expensive fancy colored diamonds will have secondary colors within the stone, and although these are still very valuable they are not as expensive as the pure single colored diamond and will be classified as "fancy grayish blue", or "fancy orange pink", etc..

The good news for all you colored diamond lovers out there is that there are options for most budgets. Not all colors will be available for every budget but here is a quick comparison table of what you can expect in terms of size, color, and cost.

Notice how you can get a flawless half carat white diamond for the same price as a .07 ct intense pink, and almost a full carat for a black diamond.

Finally, in terms of grading, since fancy diamonds are judged on the intensity of color as opposed to the lack of color the grades of D through Z used for white diamonds don't apply. These precious gems have their own system of grading which range from Light, Fancy Light, Fancy, Fancy Intense, Fancy Deep and Fancy Vivid.

A naturally colored diamond is an amazing phenomena created through trace elements, radiation and the wonders of mother nature. And, like all things that are natural and desirable, we've found a way to replicate them and fancy diamonds are no exception.

Gemologists have learned how to manipulate and produce colored diamonds out of naturally colorless ones while others manufacture and produce synthetic colored diamonds inside a laboratory. Both these variations are much more affordable than a natural fancy diamond, so make sure that you have the proper accompanying certification to know which of the three types you're buying when shopping for colored diamond engagement rings.