This article discusses the grading of white diamonds and how difficult it can be to identify a fancy diamond’s color. When grading fancy white diamonds, deeper fancy diamonds’ color will be more valuable than shallow white ones. Fancy intense white diamonds are extremely rare and difficult to find due to limited transparency. The most valuable of these are those with a purplish pink hue, followed by intense purplish, vivid purplish and light purple hues. Color saturation and tone should be described on the grading report as well as the D-Z scale for describing hue, saturation and tone.
Fancy white diamonds are colorless diamonds and no hue will be visible to the naked eye. When buying fancy white diamonds, it is important to compare them with fancy-colored diamonds since they can have a faint yellow hue or brown hues that can influence the price. Interestingly, if you receive an opalescent diamond, it will mostly be a modified opalescent diamond that has been treated with radiation to give it the appearance of being a higher color grade than it actually is. Before buying any diamond lot, make sure you get a diamond identification report that will verify its authenticity and quality.
The report should be issued by a reputable gemological laboratory. Natural orange diamonds are very rare and expensive, but you can find yellow diamonds at a reduced price. Pink diamonds and other colored diamonds tend to be more expensive than white ones, so you will want to consider the color and price when making your purchase. When looking for discounted stones, it’s important to use an ultraviolet (UV) lamp to detect any treatments that might influence the diamond’s color or clarity. Fluorescence is also something to look out for as it can sometimes cause a difference in the diamond’s appearance.
Natural fancy color diamonds come in a range of colors, from natural orange diamonds to pure unaltered orange diamonds to orangey red diamonds and yellowish orange diamonds. Color technology has advanced much, making it possible to add color to a colorless diamond, though natural fancies are far more popular.
Fancy white diamonds are the most expensive since they look like white diamonds but actually have an I color. A 1-carat diamond, mounted in a fancy light yellow gold basket with a crown, can cost as much as twice what a normal diamond of the same size would cost.