Today, fancy colored diamonds are prized possessions, sought after by jewelers and wearers of jewelry alike. Through Bruce Verstandig & Co., Inc., obtaining these rare gems is a reality. Unknown to many jewelry customers, the diamond is endowed with as great a color array as sapphires and garnets. Yet the diamond has almost totally escaped notice as a colored stone.
The market for fancy colored diamonds is a unique one, reflecting the uniqueness of the stones themselves. But they are out there. Fine yellows and pinks are the most sought after and with some effort they are obtainable. Auctions have increased consumer and trade awareness and have turned these once unknown gems into a "hot" item. So says Susan Florence, Christie's Senior Jewelry Specialist, who added, "People like rarity, color and wearability of the diamonds. Most people can't identify colored diamonds as diamonds, so it's safer to wear them out."
Beyond ease in wearability, the qualities that give colored diamonds market value are the tone, saturation, hue and the natural coloring of the stone. The more intense and deeper the color the more valuable. Some cuts bring out the color more intensely than others. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has graded the scale as follows: fancy light, fancy, fancy intense and fancy vivid.
Still, in order to price a colored diamond, one must see it. At Bruce Verstandig & Co., Inc. diamond wholesalers, our tools are diamond expertise, patience and persistence in locating the exact fancy colored diamond desired. Call us with your questions about fancy colored diamonds -- we'll be glad to work with you.
Did You Know...
...The abundance of colored stones comes from the Australian Argyle mines that are now boosting supplies a bit-- but creating a full inventory is still impossible for any diamond importer.
...The Champagne Registry, which tracks diamond mining, states that the Argyle Mines produce approximately 40 million carats of diamonds per year, with only about 3% of the total output being pink, another 40% champagne colored, and the remaining stones are white. Fancy colored diamonds output is estimated at one to two carats for every 3,000 carats mined, with 80-90% of those colored diamonds in the brown and yellow family.
... Red, pink and blue diamonds can command more per carat than other gemstones such as emeralds, rubies or sapphires because of their rarity.
... The famous D Flawless was found in 1987 and commanded a record $926,000 for being a 95-point purplish red diamond. Even more infamous was the Hope Diamond, an oval dark blue fancy colored diamond weighing 44.5 carats and flawless. Named after Henry Phillip Hope, a European banker who helped finance the Louisiana Purchase, this "Great Blue" carried with it great mystery and beauty and is now on display in the Smithsonian Institute.
...One out of every 12 million tons of rough diamonds may include just one colored diamond; out of one half million polished diamonds there may also be just one colored stone.
...Each color is created from a different condition in the Earth: green from radiation and uranium; pink from the abnormality in the crystal lattice as it forms; yellow from nitrogen, and blue from boron. Red is the rarest colored diamond.
... Most colored diamond customers are women -- after their first white diamond engagement ring, they are choosing colored diamonds.
