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Why Choose a Coloured Diamond For Your Engagement Ring?


Choosing the diamond for your engagement ring is one of the most important things to consider. Significant amount of time is spent choosing a diamond that combines all the qualities that suit you, including most importantly your style and budget. The Four C's of a diamond help to determine the look, weight, and of course cost of the centre stone. While diamond colour may not be the first C on everyone's mind, it's just as important as the others.

The most common type of diamond is a white diamond. With these, having colour shadings is usually not desirable. Most prefer when their white diamond is as clear as possible, to create a shiny surface and bright gleam. The less colour in a diamond, the more the light reflects off the surfaces and light bounces from every part of the stone. On the other side of the spectrum, is the other group of diamonds called fancy coloured diamonds. These are the ones where you want the vibrant hues to enhance the stone. These stones come in almost every colour of the rainbow, including yellow, pink, red, blue, green, purple, and anything in between.

Fancy colour diamonds can get their colours naturally and by being manipulated. Natural colour diamonds happen in a few different ways. Various trace elements found in diamonds have the ability to produce colour. Nitrogen, for example, creates a yellowish hue in a stone. Another way is with inclusions. While inclusions are undesirable in a white diamond, they can contribute greatly to give certain tones of colour in a fancy colour diamond. Colour can also result from radiation. When radiation is present during a diamond's creation, this can cause changes in hue. Green diamonds are a typical result of radiation.

The other way a diamond can achieve colouration is by being manipulated. Gemologists have found methods to take less desirable diamonds and alter their colour to enhance their appeal. This is usually done by irradiation, which is then followed by a high heat treatment. Diamond treatments are fairly common, and allow these highly coveted types of diamonds to be more affordable for people. Natural fancy coloured diamonds are expensive and very hard to find. Make sure when you buy one that you get a letter of authenticity to confirm if it is natural or not.

Fancy coloured diamonds can add a truly different and unique quality to an engagement ring. While they may not be as popular as the traditional white diamond, they are just as beautiful in their own way.