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White – The most chemically pure and structurally perfect diamonds contain absolutely no hint of color whatsoever. Pure white diamonds that appear colorless, or transparent, occur very rarely in nature. The majority of mined diamonds come in a range from pale yellow to brown, and this is considered a normal color range.
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Yellow – Yellow diamonds, also known as canary diamonds, are caused by the presence of nitrogen in the diamond structure. Very often, green and orange can be seen as secondary hues in yellow diamonds. |
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Pink – Pink diamonds are caused by a process called 'plastic deformation', where the pink hue is caused by a natural deformation of the diamond crystal when it is in a semi-solid state. Most pink diamonds come from mines in Australia. |
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Blue – Blue diamonds are usually classified as either gray-blue or green-blue, and the coloration is caused by the presence of boron in their structure. Green-blue or teal diamonds are most often caused by the presence of nitrogen impurities in the aggregate form. The most common cut for blue diamonds is the round.
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Black – Black diamonds are opaque and do not show the normal fire of other diamond colors. However, they are still desired. The black color is caused by inclusions of graphite in the diamond crystal. |
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Red – The rarest of all diamond colors is red. In fact, this color is so rare in nature, there's not much known about it. Australian mines produce only a small number of red diamonds, the largest and finest of which are auctioned for millions of dollars each. |
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Gray – Gray diamonds can range in hue from the faintest silver to a dark and smoky graphite color, and are gaining popularity with jewelry designers for the full range of neutral hues they offer. Gray diamonds are often paired with fancy diamonds of other colors for great visual contrast.
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Orange – Like the red diamonds, true orange diamonds are extremely rare. Orange diamonds are caused by the presence of nitrogen and carbon. Pure orange diamonds are desirable specimens. |
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Green – The color in green diamonds is caused by exposure to atomic radiation, and after fancy red diamonds, they are the second rarest naturally occurring fancy diamond. Green diamonds are highly valued and greatly admired, especially those that show no other colors.
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Purple – Until recently, it was believed that there were no naturally occuring true purple diamonds, and that most of the diamonds labeled as purple were actually variations of the pink diamond. However, in 2008, a mining firm in Quebec discovered 9 rare purple diamonds.
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Brown – Also known as champagne or cognac diamonds, brown diamonds are caused by the absorption of light by structural defects in the diamond. Like pink diamonds, the browns are also found primarly in Australia. |
