LAREINE Diamond Encyclopedia
What Are Natural Fancy Color Diamonds?
A guide to the geological origins, gemological classification and exceptional rarity of diamonds created by nature in color.
Natural fancy color diamonds are among the rarest creations of the Earth. Unlike colorless diamonds, which are valued for the absence of color, these exceptional stones are prized for the presence, strength and character of their natural hue.
Yellow, pink, blue, green, orange, violet and red diamonds are created by different events within the diamond’s atomic structure. Each color carries its own geological history, making every natural fancy color diamond genuinely individual.
Expert definition
The word “Fancy” is an official gemological classification. It describes a diamond whose visible color is evaluated outside the conventional D to Z color scale.
01
Hue
The dominant color visible within the diamond.
02
Tone
How light or dark the color appears.
03
Saturation
The strength and purity of the color.
A diamond may have one pure hue or include modifying colors. A stone can be described as orangy yellow, purplish pink or grayish blue. In a laboratory color description, the final color named is the dominant hue.
Geological origin
How Natural Diamond Color Is Created
A diamond is composed almost entirely of carbon. Its color develops when trace elements or structural changes affect the way the crystal absorbs and transmits light.
Yellow
Yellow diamonds commonly receive their color from nitrogen within the crystal structure.
Blue
Blue diamonds are generally colored by traces of boron.
Pink and red
These colors are associated with distortions in the diamond’s crystal lattice.
Green
Green diamonds may develop through natural exposure to radiation within the Earth.
Brown
Brown color is often connected to structural deformation within the crystal.
Individual character
The exact atomic arrangement differs in every stone. Two diamonds with the same grade can therefore have noticeably different appearances.
Color grading
Understanding Color Intensity
Fancy color diamonds are classified according to the strength and depth of their color. Depending on the hue, the grade may include the following descriptions.
Faint
Very Light
Light
Fancy Light
Fancy
Fancy Intense
Fancy Vivid
Fancy Deep
Fancy Dark
Illustrative scale only. Actual laboratory grading is performed under controlled viewing conditions and varies according to hue.
Fancy Intense and Fancy Vivid diamonds display especially strong saturation, but intensity alone does not determine beauty. Tone, modifying hues, color distribution and the diamond’s reaction to light must all be considered together.
Different diamond colors do not naturally occur across identical ranges of saturation. A vivid blue diamond, for example, cannot be judged in exactly the same way as a vivid yellow diamond.
Expert assessment
What Determines Rarity and Value?
Color is the dominant value factor in a fancy color diamond. Small differences in hue or saturation can create significant differences in rarity and value.
- Color
Hue, tone and saturation are assessed together. Pure, evenly distributed and strongly saturated colors are generally the most sought after.
- Rarity of hue
Yellow and brown occur more frequently. Saturated pink, blue and green diamonds are substantially rarer, while red occupies an exceptional category.
- Distribution
Rich, balanced color across the visible surface is generally preferred to a stone with weak or uneven areas.
- Cut
Fancy color diamonds are cut to reveal depth of color. Radiant, cushion, pear and other fancy shapes can help concentrate color within the stone.
- Carat weight
Large natural fancy color diamonds are increasingly rare. When color quality remains comparable, value per carat can rise considerably with size.
- Clarity
Clarity remains important when inclusions affect transparency or durability. An exceptional color can still make a diamond highly desirable without a top clarity grade.
Essential knowledge
Natural Color, Treated Color and Laboratory Grown Diamonds
The appearance of a diamond alone cannot reliably confirm whether its color is natural. Some natural diamonds are treated to alter or intensify their color. Colored diamonds can also be produced in a laboratory.
For this reason, an independent gemological report is essential when acquiring a significant fancy color diamond. A GIA Natural Colored Diamond Report can identify whether a diamond is natural and whether its color is natural or treated. Depending on the report, it may also record the color grade, clarity, carat weight and other identifying characteristics.
The LAREINE Perspective
A remarkable fancy color diamond is more than an intense hue. Its color must feel alive throughout the stone, supported by a cut that reveals depth, brilliance and balance from every angle.
At LAREINE, we work exclusively with natural diamonds and gemstones. Each important fancy color diamond is selected individually, with particular attention to its natural color origin, visual character, proportions and gemological certification.
No two natural fancy color diamonds are exactly alike. That individuality is their greatest distinction.
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