The Guide for Green Diamond
Table of Contents
- Origin of Green Diamond
- Extraction of Diamonds
- Natural Green Diamond Formation
- Types of Natural Green Diamond
- Green Synthetic Diamond Formation
- Treated Green Diamond
- Green Diamond Intensity Level
- Sorting Bases of Green Diamond
- Cut
- Color (Tone, Hue, Saturation)
- Clarity
- Carat
- Effect of secondary modifiers on the value of green diamond?
- Rarity of Green Diamond
- Shapes of Green Diamond
- What Green Diamond Symbolize?
- Are radiated diamonds harmful?
- GIA certification
- Investment in Green Diamond
- Most Popular Green Diamonds
- Green Diamond Engagement Ring
- Conclusion
Origin of Green Diamond
Diamonds are recovered from the various diamond producing mines existing all over the world. Among the top ten diamond mines falls Aikhal, which is the world’s largest mine located in Russia. The second-largest is the Argyle diamond mine situated in Australia. Then comes the famous mines of Udachny, Nyurba, Orapa and Ekati among others that are geographically located in Russia, Botswana and Canada, Venezuela and Brazil.
Green diamonds are mainly mined from these very places mentioned above and then sourced to market where they are further sold to people.
Extraction of Green Diamonds
From mine to market, diamond has to undergo many processes to turn it into the final product that captures imaginations and turns heads when it is visible at the shelf of the markets.
Separating diamonds from Kimberlite or Lamproite Ore requires a mechanical, multi-step liberation process primarily. Generally, the ore is broken down into progressively smaller pieces until the diamond crystals can be physically removed with little or no damage. In every mine, be it a Nyurba or Aikhal the extraction process involves five basic operations:
1. Ore is crushed (through many steps).
2. Broken rocks are washed with water or sometimes dusted by brush to remove the dirt.
3. Ore is screened to particular fractions of sizes.
4. A particular fraction of ores is then concentrated with heavy minerals, for example, garnet with the help of a heavy medium.
5. Separating the diamonds from the other heavy minerals by means of X-ray luminescence technology. In the final step, X-rays are used to make the diamonds luminescent. An optical sensor triggers a blast of air to remove each diamond. These X-ray sorters, which were developed specifically for use at the Argyle mine, can detect approximately 200 diamonds per second at peak sorting rates.
Natural Green Diamond Formation
Natural loose colored diamonds are formed during the natural diamond formation process by nature. When the diamond undergoes extreme temperature as well as pressure and comes into contact with the radioactive material, it gives rise to the green color of the diamond.
Some of the natural modifiers of the green diamond are formed due to the presence of the trace elements that reacts with the carbon structure of the diamond and give the diamond its unique color. An important point to note is that only the portion of the diamond that comes into direct contact with the radioactive radiations is illustrated as green hue. And diamond with the uniform hue is therefore rare to find. In short, according to the geologist, the uniformity and the color intensity depends on the three factors.
· Subjection of stone to the level of radiation
· Mass of the diamond
· Duration of the exposure
Types of Natural Green Diamonds
Depending on these factors green diamonds can be classified into two types and they are as follows:
- Green Skin Tone
As the name suggests, these diamond display the green color only on the outer side and are constituted by the majority of green diamonds that were explicitly exposed to the alpha radiation and catch up a relatively lower tone color, at a low intensity.
- Green Body Color
These diamonds observe the green color uniformly throughout their body. And their color is more intense and deep. The high intensity of the color is due to the contact with the Beta and gamma radiation. But as this uniformity of color is rare, these green diamonds, in turn, to be specific are rare and therefore demands high value.
Green Synthetic Diamond formation
A synthetic diamond compared with a real diamond might appear similar to the naked eye, but the fact is that the two are very different in characteristic. Unlike real diamond, a synthetic diamond is created in the laboratory. Since the same procedure and methods is followed to make the diamond, it is often called as the copy of the real diamond. Synthetic diamond has same physical and chemical properties as that of the natural argyle diamonds even though they differ in their making process. Another method to form the synthetic crystal lattice of the diamond is through chemical vapor deposition. In this process, scientists take small pea size diamond seed and grow it layer by layer in the lab. The only major difference between the man-made and the natural diamond is that the natural diamonds are billions of years old, and that makes them extremely significant as well as valuable.
Most of the diamonds were used to be dug out naturally, but with the growing trend of diamond and awareness about its value and investors interest, competitors have started to manufacture synthetic diamonds in the lab. Many colored diamonds, even pure white diamond has been produced arterially. The green diamond is made by altering the carbon structure and adding the trace element of nickel or boron to give diamond its color. They are also produced by irradiating the diamond with the different intensity of radiation and turning them into a variety of hues of green color.
The first and the foremost treated diamonds were made by the Antoine-Henri Becquerel, after his discovery of the radioactive phenomena late in 1896. He altered the carbon structure of the diamonds to look for the potential color changes in the diamond.
Similar processes of treating diamonds were followed by another scientist William Crookes who stored some diamonds in radioactive salt material, and when he removed them from salt medium after some time, they showed green color at the surface and that color was highly intense. However, these methods of treating diamonds are not followed today as the radioactivity can be contaminated and takes considerable time to decay.
Nowadays, in laboratory diamonds are treated by bombarding low energy electron beam. This results in turning yellow diamond or nearly colorless diamonds to green diamonds.
Another popular method used today is the application of thin silica coating on to the surface of the polish stone or gem. But this type of the diamond is not durable as the coating wears off easily and it can corrode.
The dilemma of the diamond industry is that as the demand of diamonds is increasing in the market, competitors make an artificial copy of the original diamond with the methods described above and there is no check and balance as if the diamond is pure or synthetic. Treated synthetic diamonds should always be labeled, and customers should make sure that they get what they are paying for. This is imperative since you wouldn’t want to pay vast amounts for something that is not the real deal.
Green Diamond Intensity Level.
As mentioned before there are naturally made green diamond that are highly sought after and synthetically made diamonds that are not so valuable. Considering the natural formation of the green diamond and their interaction with the trace elements and radioactive radiations, green diamonds comes in variety of secondary hues and intensity levels. These hues are classified as greyish, yellowish, Brownish, Bluish, grey yellowish and green yellowish. In addition to the hues, green diamond have different intensity levels and the intensities are classified into various fancy colored diamonds such as Fancy deep, Fancy vivid, Fancy Light, light, faint. Green colors range from khaki brown and olive green to the rare turquoise, peacock green and emerald.
Sorting of Green Diamond
Later in the middle of 20th century, there was no grading standard to grade and judge the diamond, but after a while, GIA came and created a globally accepted standard to check the authenticity of the diamond. Every diamond is sorted on the basis of shape, size, cut, color, clarity, and carat weight and is universally assessed on these 4Cs. The creation of the 4Cs standard has made life easy for the customers as now they know how to determine the quality of the diamond, what factors to look for when making a purchase, and know exactly what they are paying for.
- Cut
From the word cut, shape of the diamond comes to one’s mind. But here the cut means how the diamond facets reflect light. A proper cut is extremely significant as it determines symmetry, proportions and most importantly polish that makes its sparkle. Among all the 4Cs, cut is the most crucial part as it determines the overall appearance of the diamond.
To determine the cut grade of the standard round brilliant diamond – the shape that dominates the majority of diamond jewelry, GIA calculates the proportions of those facets that influence the diamond’s face-up appearance. These proportions allow GIA to evaluate how successfully a diamond interacts with light to create desirable visual effects such as:
- Scintillation: Sparkle produces by the diamond and the reflection causing the pattern of light and dark areas.
- Brightness: White light reflection from the internal and the external surface of a diamond
- Fire: White light scattering into rainbow colors.”
- Color
The Color of Diamond is the first thing everyone looks at. White, transparent diamond is called as the pure diamonds while the diamonds with the hues of different colors are referred to as colored diamonds for example, pink, red, yellow, green, orange, brown, blue and purple. The color difference are graded on the scale from D to Z, where D is used to grade color less diamond and Z is for the light yellow color. Color is classified on the following basis
- Tone of the diamond is referred as the darkness or the lightness of the hue.
- Hue is referred to as the modifiers or the dominant colors that may be present in the diamonds
- Saturation, however, is the intensity of the hue or tone or in short the intensity of color. Saturation is represented on the scale of GIA as the fancy color grade, for example as fancy, intense and light.
- Clarity
Natural diamonds come into existence when their carbon structures is exposed to the enormous amount of heat and pressure and this heat and pressure results into different characteristic within the diamond for examples blemishes and inclusions. To evaluate the diamond clarity requires determining the number, nature, and size of these inclusions and how they affect the appearance of the diamonds. The closer is the number on the grading scale, the more clear the diamond is.
“GIA has introduced 6 categories for the Diamond clarity and out of which some are divided into total of 11 grades.
- Flawless (FL): Under 10X magnification no inclusions or no blemishes.
- Internally Flawless (IF): No inclusions visible under 10x magnification
- Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2): Inclusions are observed with effort under 10x magnification, but can be characterized as minor
- Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2): Inclusions so slight they are difficult for a skilled grader to see under 10x magnification
- Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2): Inclusions noticeable under 10x magnification
- Included (I1, I2, and I3): Inclusions are obvious under 10x magnification which may affect transparency and brilliance.”
- Carat
“A carat contains 200 milligrams. Each carat can be subdivided into 100 points. This allows very precise measurements to the hundredth decimal place. A jeweler may describe the weight of a diamond below one carat by its points alone. For instance, the jeweler may refer to a diamond that weighs 0.25 carats as a twenty-five pointer. Diamond weighing greater than one carat is expressed in carats and decimals. A 1.08 carat stone would be described as one carat oh eight.”
All else being equal, diamond price increases with diamond carat weight, because larger diamonds are rare and desirable. But two diamonds of equal carat weight can have very different values and prices depending on other quality factors of the diamond 4C’s: Clarity, Color and Cut.”
Like all other diamonds, green colored diamonds are also sorted based on these 4 characteristics. These are signs that establish the fact that the diamond is natural or synthetically made. Therefore, before buying any diamond makes sure you access all these features of the diamond.
Natural green diamonds as discussed comes in array of colors. The value of the green diamond depends on how rare the diamond is. Because of the high competition with synthetic diamonds this is the only parameter left to access its value. Therefore, pure green diamonds are highly valuable. Natural green diamond in vivid intensity levels with intensity above 0.75ct in weight are the most valuable and highly expensive (priced at hundreds of thousands of dollars per carat).
Synthetic diamonds or diamond with secondary hues, are cheap and considered less valuable because they are easily available and are convenient to manufacture. But eventually, they are priced based on the shape, carat weight, cut and clarity. These factors make green diamond expensive and also make them cheap given they are made in labs, have low carat weight, does not possess a proper cut or have blemishes or hues.
Effect of secondary modifiers on the value of a green diamond?
The most valuable and highly sought after diamonds are green diamonds that are dug out naturally form the mines. As the saturation of the color increases, the more the value increases.
But where the modifiers affect the green diamonds negatively with diminishing its price, some modifiers also affect its price positively by increasing its prices. A famous example is the secondary hue of fancy blue-green in case of Ocean Dream; it is one of the most famous among green diamonds due to its color combination
While the other secondary colors like brown, yellow and grey, they only result in discounting of the price and value at the same time. This is mainly due to the reasons of the odd color combination that investors do not prefer.
Rarity of Green Diamond
Natural green diamonds are difficult to find and are believed to be the rarer color among the fancy diamond range. Due to this rarity, their prices are sky-high. Although green diamonds are less rare as compared to the pink diamond but high quality natural green diamond are extremely difficult to source. This is one reason they are priced highly.
.
Shapes of Green Diamond
Diamond can be cut into many fancy shapes depending on consumer needs. Among these, the radiant, the emerald and the cushion are most recommended shapes because they are cut in a way that perfectly complements with the color of the stone. However, one can also opt for following shapes according to one’s desire:
- Emerald
- Princess
- Rectangular
- Cushion
- Oval
- Radiant
- Pear
- Triangular brilliant
What green diamonds symbolize?
Green color symbolizes abundance, peacefulness, prosperity and smoothness. It exemplifies activeness, rigor and youth. Therefore, it is often associated with the safety, endurance and stability. It is also viewed as the symbol of commitment because of the fact that the green diamonds face years of exposure to the radioactive radiations and comes out as an enchanting green colored diamond. If you are mounting green diamond in your engagement ring, it symbolizes the news and fresh start of your life.
Green diamonds not only provide the peace and rigor to do your task they also give you with the ability and insight to carry on your life routine with perseverance. Plus, it gives you the strength and will power to take on challenges and overcome difficult times.
Are Radiated Diamond Harmful?
The fact that green diamonds are naturally formed by the interaction with radioactive radiations, it gave arise to the question of whether it would be safe to use? The diamonds reach the market after going through several processes of cleaning and evaluation, and the stones are only delivered after ensuring it is free of any side effects. And this regulation of the safety is ensured by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the United States. According to the statement by NRC,
“The NRC has no reason to believe that wearing irradiated gemstones can be harmful. There have been no reported cases of anyone being harmed by wearing them. There is no safety reason to stop wearing blue topaz or any other irradiated gems”
However, be careful where you buy your diamonds from. If the diamond carries radiation, exposure to it can potentially lead to harmful diseases like cancer. Hence, make sure to check the authenticity of your diamond vendor and also of the diamonds that you buy.
GIA Certification
“A GIA grading report is highly desirable when purchasing a loose diamond over a certain size, so you can quickly and easily check that you are getting what you are paying for. GIA Certification is necessary to grade in order to ensure the diamonds are best in their cut, color, clarity and carat. Even though it is possible to buy diamonds without grading or certification, we recommend choosing a correctly certified stone like this, or dealing with a trusted, GIA certified diamond specialist like us, where you can be guaranteed of quality and transparency in your purchase.”
In a fast moving economy, where prices are changing instantly, to find a good investment opportunity is extremely difficult. Diamonds are becoming good option for the investors in this era as they are tangible and can be purchased in one currency and be sold in other currency, giving an edge over purchasing power. It is an easy to store investment and wearable at the same time.
Some of the other reasons that will help you opt for this investment are its high durability and nature of the investment. Colored diamonds like green diamonds are rarer diamonds, and some fancy vivid diamonds are so limited that most of the people would never actually see its true form. It’s a private asset that requires no taxation and hence can be easily stored and used for long term. Green color diamonds also retain value as their prices are determined by the rarity of the color and demand as well as supply in the market. There are high chances that there prices will continue to increase exponentially. So, what are you waiting for?
Get your hands on one today and make a safe as well as lucrative investment.
Most popular Green Diamonds
Among naturally colored diamond, the most popular among green diamonds are the Dresden Diamond, Aurora Diamond and the Ocean Dream Diamond.
The Dresden Diamond
The Dresden diamond is famous and largest green colored diamond. It is a pear shaped diamond and weighs 40.70-carat. It falls in the clarity grade of VS-1 formed by GIA. One major reason due to which the Dresden diamond is unique is that the green color is uniformly distributed. It is thought that it was found in India in 18th century. It got its name from the capital of Germany where it is placed for the last 200 years
Aurora Green
Aurora got famous when it was sold at the highest auction price of 16.8 million dollars in 2016 in Japan. It weighed 5.07 carat and was the largest fancy vivid diamond sold on earth. It falls in the color level of VS2.
The Ocean Dream
The ocean Dream is famous for its rare color combination. It weighed 5.1 carat and was sold at the price of 8.9 million. The intense fancy blue-green of the diamond makes its rarest stone and most expensive gem. The Ocean dream approved and certified by GIA is million years old and got its eye catching color due to the radioactivity phenomena.
Green Diamond Engagement Ring
If you are the lucky one to get your hands on the green diamond and are looking for a design that will suit your hand then you can opt from the following three engagement ring designs:
Look 1: Halo Setting
The halo setting is a setting that encloses the diamond in center surrounded by small diamonds paved around the center diamond.
Look 2: Solitaire Setting
Solitaire setting is for the individuals who are looking for simple yet elegant look. Solitaire setting ring consist of single diamond mounted on the top, giving it a simple, sleek look.
Look 3: Three stone setting
Three stoned setting is good as it provides greater surface area and features three sides’ diamond that accentuates the overall brilliance of the diamond. Baguette and emerald shaped diamonds are best suited in three-stone setting.
Conclusion
To conclude, green diamonds are naturally made as well made synthetically in labs. The natural green colored diamond gets its colors when it comes in contact with radiations aided by high temperature and pressure whereas, the synthetic green diamonds are formed by disrupting the carbon structure or by coating of silica.
The value and price of green diamond decreases depending on its carat weight, cut, color, and how it is manufactured. As any other colored diamond, green diamonds varies in intensity levels and sometimes have secondary hues of colors like grey, yellow and blue. But the sorting basis of the green diamond is the same as for any other diamond. The uniformity in green color is what determines its cause of rarity. It comes in different shapes and colors hence, giving the freedom to the customer to choose from wide range of variety. Also note that GIA certification is necessary to check the authenticity of the green diamond. Remember this when you are looking to make a purchase.
Last but not the least, note that that green diamonds can be used in all kinds of jewelry be it engagement rings, pendants, earrings, or bracelets. So, if you want to give a loved one a presents that they will cherish for a lifetime or want to make a stylish statement then hop on Talore Diamonds online shop and buy a high-quality green colored diamond at a reasonable price.
When it comes to buying jewelry or diamonds either to adorn yourself or your loved one, you need to look no further than Talore Diamonds.
As a trusted leader in the field of colored diamonds, Talore Diamonds offer a wide variety of natural fancy colored diamonds in a range of vivid hues and saturation.
With years of experience in dealing with diamonds, and extensive stock that is picked by a panel of diamond experts to meet the highest standards of quality, cut, clarity and rarity value, Talore Diamonds brings to you the very best.
