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Home » Archives for December 2010

Using Irradiation To Enhance The Color of a Diamond

Thursday, December 30, 2010 by admin

A diamonds color or lack thereof, is a major component of the value of a diamond. Vivid, fancy color diamonds are very valuable and rare to find, making them all the more out of reach of the wallets of the everyday person. This is why the jewelry industry took technology and used it to create amazing, colorful diamonds that the public demands.

Irradiation is just one of the ways to turn a brown or yellow stone into fancy colored diamonds, such as brilliant greens, vibrant reds, glowing yellows, as well as purples, blues, and a list of other colors. The process of irradiation is simple due to new technology. They take a natural stone and infuse it with high electron particles in a laboratory. This process tries to mimic a diamonds creation in nature, but also use heat to give them the same brilliance they would find in a natural state. The electron or neutron would produce a narrow space, and when they are heated the nitrogen traps the narrow spaces to form a more complex color. The colored centers absorb certain colors reflecting back to us the unabsorbed colors creating the stunning effect. Red is by far the rarest, as the color is very difficult to achieve, such as in authentic colored diamonds. The colors are then treated to keep the 100% safe for us to wear.

Natural colored diamonds are only available at about a rate of 1 to 2 carats per every 1000 carats so chances are if you find one at your local jeweler it is a color enhanced diamond. The rare authentic colored diamonds are often museum showpieces, or held only by the rich and famous.

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Using The Coating Method to Enhance The Color of a Diamond

by admin

What you see may not be what you get, is the motto used with any color enhanced diamond that has undertaken the coating method. It is just another way to produce color enhanced diamonds without having to pay outrageous prices for an authentic fancy colored diamond, or rare natural colorless stones.

Coating a diamond is done nearly always to actually deceive the buyer into buying something they think is natural, when in fact it is a bad imitation at best. It is done to mask the yellowish tints in a natural diamond, and of course to raise the value.

In past years every attempt was made to find a way to coat a diamond without being detectable such as adding colored metal foils to the diamonds before they were set, or coating the diamond with nail polish. Today, modern technology has made it more possible to coat a diamond by applying super thin layers of a more durable coating solution. Although no one can say what material is being used, it is something that lasts longer than previous solutions. In fact, a coated diamond can go undetected for many years if it is not graded by a reputable lab, or professionally cleaned on a regular basis.

A lay person will probably not notice if their diamond has been coated, so it is important to look for the signs. If you don’t receive a certificate of authenticity, or if you see spots of color on the girdle or facets that don’t look the same as the top of the diamond you may have reason to be concerned.

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Color Enhanced Diamonds – High Temperature, High Pressure Technique

by admin

Another process which is used to transform yellowish diamonds into fanciful colored diamonds is the high temperature, high pressure technique (HPHT). Not only it is used for vibrant colors but it is now being used to change brownish diamonds into more valuable colorless diamonds.

HPHT is a very controversial topic among sellers because some feel that it is not a treatment, but a way to finish what nature started. It is virtually undetectable, making it relatively unknown on how many HPHT color enhanced diamonds are out there. Grading labs are trying to find ways in order to detect this process, especially if a stone is not labeled as a HPHT, as it is required to be.

The process includes using the high pressure and high temperature, similar to nature, causing imperfections in the crystal lattice to be repaired. This essentially changes the color, depending on the stone. It will either become more colorless, or can make a stone appear blue, yellow orange, yellow green, pink, or even brown diamonds.

The diamonds are gorgeous, and look almost perfect to the naked eye. Since it is a controversial topic they are sold frequently, but only you can decide if you want a HPHT diamond or a natural diamond. Any reputable dealer will be able to tell you if the HPHT technique was used. It is a permanent process making your diamond safe and durable, but they should cost less then natural diamonds. Make sure you see a certificate of authenticity before you purchase any diamond.

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