Contrary to popular belief, colored diamonds are made just like the usual diamonds except that there is the presence of certain gases that result in them having different colors.
Here we will discuss how all these various colored diamonds get their colors from.
The Blue diamond gets its color from two different processes. In the first, there is the presence of Boron atoms. In the second, the diamond is formed in a hydrogen-rich environment due to which it absorbs the red, green, and orange colors in the visible spectrum, leaving the blue behind. Blue-colored diamonds are rare, and only a few possess them. Hence, they are always in high demand and expensive.
The green-colored diamonds are formed when the diamonds are exposed to natural radiation when they are leaving the upper layer of the crust of the earth. The green color comes from the absorption of the red and yellow light. These can also be made artificially. The color intensity is determined from the duration of exposure and type of radiation. Prolonged gamma and neutron radiation exposure result in an amazing green color.
The yellow colored diamonds are very commonly available. They get their color from the trapping of nitrogen. Sometimes, the nitrogen replaces the carbon in the structure of the diamond. The orange-colored diamonds are also formed in a similar way. Yellow diamonds are undesirable and have low value. This is due to the poor coloring. Intensely colored yellow diamonds are extremely rare and hence, not very common.
Next is the pink-colored diamond It is formed due to plastic deformation. This is when a diamond undergoes tensile stress due to the environment. Because of this, the nitrogen atoms in the center of the diamond is disrupted, resulting in a “pink grain” in the stone. The red diamonds are formed in the same way. However, these diamonds are extremely rare, and only a few people have ever seen them.
Nowadays, artificial procedures are being used to create colored diamonds due to their high value. These procedures include coatings, irradiation, putting the diamonds through high temperatures, and combinations of these among other processes. The results of these, however, depend on the features of the original diamond.
