People are becoming aware that diamonds can be found in different colors. Couple diamond’s renowned hardness with beautiful color and you have an excellent colored gem that is very durable and attractive. Natural colored diamonds are very rare and therefore very expensive. But diamonds can be treated to produce a variety of colors and this process has brought colored diamonds to the reach of a large, gem loving public. The treatments are safe and permanent and produce colors such as blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, black, and brown.

Diamonds can be irradiated and then annealed with heat to produce colors. This process has been known and used for many years. It is fully disclosed in the jewelry industry. A new process uses high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) to rearrange the atoms and thus alter light’s path through the diamond, affecting its color. This process does not add or subtract any atoms, just rearranges them so it is a process with few tell tale signs to alert the buyer. That is why many companies who perform this process will inscribe the girdle to identify such diamonds permanently. Full disclosure in the jewelry industry mandates that such treatments are reported to the buyer.

Now it is possible to purchase intensely colored synthetic diamonds in ½ carat sizes and up. Trained gemologists and jewelers can distinguish the majority of these synthetics. Just be sure to deal with a reputable source when purchasing colored diamonds.

Besides hardness, diamonds possess high refraction which causes brilliance when cut properly. That means that the colored diamond will display great color and great sparkle, a wonderful combination. No wonder colored diamonds have become so desirable for so many.