As Wedding Know How editors, we write about things that we love and we think you'll like too. We have affiliate partnerships and sponsorship and may generate some revenue from these at no cost to you.
Contents
- What Are Green Diamonds and How Do They Get Their Color?
- The Different Intensity Levels of Green Diamond Color
- Green diamonds and Cut, Color and Clarity
- Green Diamond Rarity and Value
- Best Ring Designs for Green Diamonds
- Best Alternatives for Green Diamonds
- Synthetic Green Diamonds
- Gemstones that Look Like Green Diamonds
- Meaning and Symbolism of Green Diamonds
Green diamonds are one of the most popular
diamond colors and are extremely rare, precious and highly sought after. Naturally,
all this makes green diamonds quite pricey too, so they are not ideal for
people on a strict budget. Still, if you can afford even a small green diamond
for your engagement ring you can end up with a truly unique and captivating
piece of jewelry. Here’s what you need to know about buying green diamonds.
What Are Green Diamonds and How Do They Get Their Color?
The cause of natural green diamonds’ color is almost as
fascinating and unique as their appearance. These gorgeous gemstones owe their
color to the radiation-exposed rock formations where the diamonds grow. This
radiation is usually caused by uranium or thorium and as the radioactive
materials decay, they emit a certain radiation that enters the growing diamond
crystal.
Once this happens, the radiation knocks the growing diamond’s electrons
and carbon atoms and changes their position in the stone’s crystal lattice.
This then changes the way the diamond reflects light and it becomes green in
color. Depending on how much radiation the diamond was exposed to it may be
that just the surface layer of the stone turns green or that all of it assumes
this color. The deeper the green hues go, the more valuable the diamond is.
This makes the cause for green diamonds’ color arguably much more
interesting than the origin of most other diamond colors which only adds even
more to their charm. And, not to worry – the radiation we’re talking about here
is completely natural, faint, and harmless for people so the only price we have
to pay for owning a green diamond is purely monetary.
The Different Intensity Levels of Green Diamond Color
Fancy green diamonds with truly intense
color are one of the most captivating sights in the jewelry world. The more
“knocked” electrons these diamonds have inside them, the richer their color is
and the higher their value.
As with most other colored diamonds, green
diamonds’ color intensity is determined by the following scale:
Faint, Very Light, Light, Fancy
Light, Fancy, Fancy Dark, Fancy Intense, Fancy Vivid, Fancy Deep
The first three grades are very faint, to the point that you may not even notice a green hue. Take this faint green round cut diamond for example. It’s hard to see any color on this.
The other six grades from Fancy Light to
Fancy Deep, however, are true colored diamonds and grow in beauty, value, and
price with each next grade.
Aside from the color intensity scale, green
diamonds’ value also fluctuates depending on whether or not there are any
secondary colors in them. The most common secondary colors for green diamonds
are yellow, brown, and blue, with yellow and brown hues being undesirable and
blue-green diamonds being valuable. Nevertheless, pure green diamonds are the
most highly valued type.
Green diamonds and Cut, Color and Clarity
Color is the most important factor in a
green diamond’s value and the cut of the stone is often chosen to maximize the
rough and the color. For this reason, cuts such as the radiant, marquise,
emerald, and cushion cuts are much more popular for green and other colored
diamonds than they are for colorless stones. Still, the ever-popular round cut,
as well as oval and pear cut also work quite well here.
Because green diamonds are so rare,
inclusions don’t tend to bring the value of the stone down. If the diamond has
good color, it will maintain its value regardless of having inclusions. Also, the
richer the color of the stone is, the more irrelevant its clarity becomes
because the intense color tends to hide otherwise undesirable inclusions.
Green Diamond Rarity and Value
As one of the top 6 most popular gemstones
on the market, green diamonds’ value is undisputed. Especially natural and pure
green diamonds with a truly intense color can be ridiculously hard to find.
Certain emeralds can be more expensive than the more transparent green diamonds
but even emeralds can’t compare with a Fancy Deep green diamond. The sparkle of
the diamond, together with its brighter color and its rarity put it higher than
all other green gemstones.
Radiant cut fancy intense yellowish green diamond. Check Price Here.
The radiant cut diamond featured above is
only 2.13 carats but has a beautiful green hue with some yellowish tones. The
price is extremely high and is reflective of the value of green diamonds.
Best Ring Designs for Green Diamonds
A green diamond deserves to be placed in a
stunning setting to make the most of its rare beauty. Green works well with any
metal color and looks stunning when set in rose or yellow gold. However, white
metals give it a stylish, contemporary look.
Adding a halo or side stones adds sparkle
and detail to a green diamond. The white
color excels at contrasting and accenting the beautiful green color of these
stones.
Green diamonds are excellent options for
engagement rings because of their unique color, value and durability. With a
perfect 10 on the Mohs scale, diamonds are hard, tough gemstones for everyday
wear.
Because finding a ready-made green diamond is difficult with the limited options available, we recommend searching on James Allen’s green diamond inventory and pairing your chosen stone with one of their many stunning settings.
Best Alternatives for Green Diamonds
If a green diamond doesn’t suit your budget,
here are some budget-friendly options:
Synthetic Green Diamonds
Scientists and gemologists have looked for
over a century for ways how to artificially grow green diamonds or how to treat
yellow or lightly colored diamonds into green ones. And they have been
successful!
Modern synthetic green diamonds are
lab-grown in the same way natural green diamonds grow, only in a controlled
environment and much faster as well. The end result is that they look exactly
like natural fancy green diamonds but are much more affordable.
The other synthetic alternative are
non-green diamonds that are irradiated with low-energy electron beams that
change the structure of their crystal lattice and cause them to “turn
green”. These green diamonds also look just like their natural
counterparts and are also significantly cheaper.
Another variation you can see is yellow or
colorless diamonds that are coated with a green coating but we’d really advise
against those – they are the most budget-friendly option but they don’t look as
good as the other options and their surface coating doesn’t last more than
several years or a decade at best.
Gemstones that Look Like Green Diamonds
Some of the natural green gemstones you
might want to consider as alternatives to green diamonds include stones such as
green alexandrite, green apatite, green diopside, green tourmaline, green
garnet, green peridot, green sapphire, and most people’s favorite – green
emerald.
Green sapphire ring by Aurora Designer. Check Price Here.
Green emerald gemstone. Check Price Here.
Of those, emeralds, sapphires, and garnets
are the best and most valuable alternatives to green diamonds for engagement
rings while most of the others can still work well for other everyday jewelry.
At the end of the day, none of them can compare to the hardness, rarity or
beauty of a green diamond, but that’s to be expected.
Meaning and Symbolism of Green Diamonds
Green diamonds are associated with the
symbolism often attributed to the color green. As such, they symbolize beginnings,
growth, prosperity, abundance, and success. They’re ideal for nature lovers as
they resemble the beauty of the outdoors.
Green diamonds promote relaxation, peace
and growth. They are said to bring good fortune and love to the wearer, as well
as vitality and the ability to grant wishes. They are also said to slowly and
gently heal the wearer of the maliciousness he or she may be accumulating
throughout the day.
Wrapping Up…
If you’re lucky enough to own a green
diamond, you’ll know how rare and beautiful they are. Green diamonds are
stunning gemstones and make for beautiful jewelry.
Click here to start browsing green diamonds.
TagsColored Diamond
You may also like
How to Plan a Weekend Wedding for an Intimate Group
How to Have a Cheap (Yet Classy) Wedding
What Is a Wedding Website and Do You Need One?
