The World of Coloured Diamonds
Quality diamonds with size, brilliance, and clarity are hard to find as it is. Add in colouration, which can occur mainly because of structural anomalies in the diamond crystal or certain impurities, and that diamond is even rarer.
It turns out the vast majority of diamonds (98.1%) are classified as Type 1 and have nitrogen as an impurity. This can make them white, yellow or brown in colour. The rest are classified as Type 2, and these make up the category of “more desired” coloured diamonds.
Structural anomalies can make these diamonds yellow, brown, orange, pink, red, or purple in colour. A small amount instead have boron as an impurity, which can make the diamonds blue or grey. Green diamonds can also occur if a diamond of another colour is exposed to radiation in a certain way.
Many hard assets investors consider things such as rare coins, paintings, or coloured diamonds as another way to preserve wealth. The rarity and uniqueness of these assets make them something special. While not fungible or a medium of exchange like something such as pure gold or silver, they do tend to hold their value over time. Things such as coloured diamonds also are extremely portable, which gives them a the advantage of wealth mobility over cash or other bullion.
Original graphic from: Excalibur Royale
