The origins of colored diamonds are a mystery to many. And if you’ve ever wondered “where do colored diamonds come from?” then this blog post is for you. We will explore everything there is to know about the origins, history, and much more!
Along with the information on where these beautiful gems originate from, we’ll also discuss how they’re cut and why they’re so expensive.
What Is A Fancy Colored Diamond?
Fancy color diamonds are a type of diamond that exhibits an intense and pure hue, ranging from vivid blues to rich reds. The most valuable colors include blue (e.g., the Hope Diamond), purple (e.g., the Engelhard Starlite Purple Paragon), and green (e.g., the De Beers Millennium Star).
Colored diamonds can be found in white, yellow, and pink diamonds. The origin of their colors is usually the result of a mineral inclusion or blemish on the earth’s surface when it was formed from molten rock. Heat then changes some minerals into purplish brown to reds, greens, blues, or other colors during the diamonds’ journey to the surface.
Inclusions are often referred to as “tourmaline” or ”schorl.” These inclusions give color, but they can also cause cracks and fractures that weaken the diamond’s structure and increase its chances of breaking during cutting and polishing.
If a colored diamond is very light in color, it is often called a “fancy white.”
The earth’s surface is from molten rock. Heat then changes some minerals into purplish brown to reds, greens, blues, or other colors during the diamonds’ journey to the surface.
Where Are Fancy Color Diamonds Found?
Fancy-colored diamonds are found in two places: the Argyle Diamond Mine and the Cullinan mine. The Argyle diamond mine is located near Perth, Australia. It’s one of the oldest mines on earth still producing stones today. There are a few other older mines that produce fancy color diamonds, but they’re all closed. The Cullinan mine is located in Pretoria, South Africa. It’s the largest diamond-producing mine on earth and was discovered on a family farm. This discovery spurred an entire mining industry to be developed.
Fancy-colored diamonds are found by miners who have been trained for many years how to find them with their “eyes” and “fingers.” They know how to tell the difference between a colored gem and a plain one. These miners search for tiny clues on the earth’s surface that point them in the direction of diamonds below ground. Once they find an area with potential, they use drills to dig deep into the mine until they reach water or diamond-bearing rock layers.
Where Do Fancy Diamonds Get Their Color?
Diamonds are mined from the earth in various locations across the world. However, there is a group of miners that produce unusually colored diamonds called “fancy diamonds.” A fancy diamond’s color does not just come from nature; it can also be influenced by human intervention through chemical treatment or irradiation techniques. Many people believe these treatments are harmful to the environment because they can release toxic chemicals into groundwater.
The colored diamonds that come from these mines are unique, but this does not mean their color is what makes them so valuable. Like white diamonds, fancy diamonds range in clarity and cut as well as weight depending on which mine it’s coming from. A diamond’s rarity largely depends on its color, cut, and clarity.
A diamond’s rarity cannot be determined by its color alone; it is the combination of these qualities that truly make a stone valuable. It can take years for miners to find even one fancy colored diamond in all the rough they mine because this type of gem only makes up less than two percent of mined diamonds around the world.
Colored Diamonds And Where They Are Found
Yellow Diamonds
It’s no secret that the world is in love with yellow diamonds. They are a precious global commodity and for good reason. Yellow diamonds have been popular since they were discovered in 1872 at the Premier Mine near Pretoria, South Africa, by Thomas Bannister who was employed as an overseer there. The find of these gems turned into a sensation.
Yellow diamonds are among the rarest of colors, with fewer than 500 found in documented history and only five to eight rough yellow stones typically mined each year. The rarity is due to their extreme sensitivity to radiation which causes them to lose their color after an exposure too long or too powerful. This means that they must be mined deep underground, and then exposed to a very small amount of radiation from the sun.
Blue Diamonds
There have been at least three recorded discoveries of blue diamonds. The Cullinan Mine in South Africa, Argyle mine in Australia, and the Golconda mines are all contenders for this distinctive rarity.
Blue diamonds are rare because they have to be chemically formed in the right conditions. The gemstone is thought to only form when there has been a new type of volcanic eruption or meteorite collision that brings boron into contact with carbon and water, which combine to create blue diamond crystals.
This process is so difficult it’s estimated that less than one thousand blue diamonds exist in the world.
Some people have speculated that these precious gems are found exclusively at depths of 200 miles or more, where pressure and temperature combine to create this variety of diamonds.
The Cullinan Mine is the only place on earth with any real evidence for how they might form their unique type of blue diamonds.
Pink Diamonds
The Argyle Mine is the only source for most of the world’s pink diamonds. The reason these stones are so expensive, in contrast to white or yellow ones, has everything to do with their rarity relative to other colors and how they form from kimberlite pipes deep underground over millions of years.
Pink diamonds get their color from the presence of nitrogen. The reason they’re so expensive is that kimberlite pipes are only found in few places on earth, and if a diamond gets exposed to light it will fade in value. It’s also difficult for them to be cut without affecting their natural shade.
Orange Diamonds
Orange diamonds are rare and unique. They’re found primarily in the mines of South Africa and Western Australia, but they can also be mined from Brazil or Angola with some luck. A Fancy Vivid Orange is a perfect orange diamond without any hint of brown coloring at all!
When you’re looking for an orange diamond, remember that there are all different shades of orange diamonds. Some may be more yellow than others or have a brownish tint to them. This is because the color comes from nitrogen impurities in the diamond and as these levels change it can cause variations in the color!
Purple Diamonds
The Argyle Mine is one of the only sources of violet and purple diamonds and it’s located in Australia. In South Africa, two mines have produced a small number of purple diamond stones with Russia also having found some.
However, Siberia aces all other sources for the esteemed origin of the unique purple diamonds.
Purple diamonds are the rarest of all colored diamonds, and they’re produced from a natural process that takes millions of years! They form deep in the earth’s mantle when oxygen combines with carbon to create these wonderful gems. The color is due to traces of iron or titanium atoms which give them their distinctive hue.
Black Diamonds
Most black diamonds are found in Central Africa, which undertakes very minimal diamond production, to begin with. Black and yellow diamonds are what you can mostly find on this side of the continent, but other types of diamonds have also been found there, including green, pink, and blue diamonds.
The black diamond tends to be found with about an inch of soil below it. This means that the earth moved enough and fast enough, while still being wet from rain or water in a river nearby, for loose dirt to cover them up. They’re also most often found near potholes where there has been some movement in the ground which was followed by new dirt being deposited on top of them.
Brown Diamonds
The brown diamond is a rare gemstone with roots in Africa and Brazil. The Argyle Diamond Mine, located in Northwestern Australia, has produced many beautiful stones that are shades of caramel or champagne colors.
Conclusion
Colored diamonds are mined from regions all around the world. Many different countries have deposits of colored diamonds, and there is still much to be discovered in other parts of the world. In a few years, we may find that new locations will produce rarer colors such as pink or even purple!