Fancy Coloured Diamonds

One of the most common questions we get asked at YEG Fine Jewellery world is what the difference is between vibrant coloured diamonds, and the traditional clear, colourless diamond. Many argue that coloured gems are much more valuable than their counterpart, or that the rarity is increased. However, this is not always the case.

 Diamonds in the normal color range are colorless through light yellow and are described using the industry’s D-to-Z color-grading scale. Fancy color diamonds, on the other hand, are unique yellow and brown diamonds that exhibit color beyond the Z range, or diamonds that exhibit any other color face-up. These rare specimens come in every color of the spectrum, including, most importantly, blue, green, pink, and red.

Gem diamonds in the D-to-Z range usually decrease in value as the color becomes more obvious. Just the opposite happens with fancy color diamonds: Their value generally increases with the strength and purity of the color. Large, vivid fancy color diamonds are extremely rare and very valuable. However, many fancy diamond colors are muted rather than pure and strong.