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Contents
- What Are Red Diamonds and How Do They Get Their Color?
- Red Diamond Color Intensity
- Evaluating a Red Diamond
- Best Red Diamond Alternatives
- Synthetic Red Diamonds
- Gemstone Alternatives
- Red Diamonds Symbolism
Red is the rarest and most expensive diamond
color out there to such an extreme degree that it’s virtually impractical to
even consider natural fancy color red diamond jewelry.
And we don’t say that just to put you off
either – that’s just how impossibly rare these stones are. As an example, these
stones are so rare that the Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
hasn’t issued a report for a natural red diamond in 30 years!
In short – red diamonds are at the top of the
pyramid in the diamond world and most of us will never see such a diamond in
person. Fortunately, lab-grown diamonds can come in red as well and at a
fraction of the price of natural fancy red diamonds.
Here’s what you need to know about these
exclusive stones.
What Are Red Diamonds and How Do They Get Their Color?
In case you need even more proof for red diamonds’ uniqueness,
here’s a curious tidbit about how they are formed – natural fancy red diamonds
don’t owe their color to any particular chemical inclusion like other colored
gemstones. Instead, they are pure and clear just as colorless diamonds.
However, what gives them their rare ruby-like look is a slight
deformity in the crystal lattice of the carbon atoms which causes the light to
bend when it passes through the stone and gives it an intense red hue. This
deformity is so obscure and rare that natural red diamonds are ridiculously
hard to find.
Red Diamond Color Intensity
The main grading method for colored
diamonds is by their color intensity. That’s because the color of colored
diamonds is its most important characteristic, surpassing the cut and the carat
weight in its impact on the overall price of the stone.
The way colored diamonds are rated is on a
scale of nine different intensity levels:
Faint, Very Light, Light, Fancy
Light, Fancy, Fancy Dark, Fancy Intense, Fancy Vivid, Fancy Deep
The thing about red diamonds, however, is
that they are technically a part of the pink diamonds color spectrum. Red
diamonds are really at the highest end of the pink color intensity spectrum.
Red diamonds are so saturated in color,
however, that they can’t really be categorized as pink but are simply
categorized as their own color group with a single intensity level – Fancy Red.
Anything lighter than that simply isn’t viewed as a red diamond at all but is
instead categorized as one of the pink diamond color levels.
Putting aside this unique aspect of red
diamonds, it should be mentioned that they can come with certain secondary
color hues, namely brown, orange or purple ones. While all three of these
variations can make for some pretty spectacular visual effects, especially the
rare and valuable purple color, pure red diamonds remain the most rare and
highly valued variations.
Evaluating a Red Diamond
Popular
gemstone cuts for colored diamonds
As with other colored diamonds, red diamond
cut and clarity take a backseat behind color. Because red diamonds are so
exceedingly rare, simply finding one is cause for celebration that any
inclusions would simply be overlooked.
As for the cut’s significance, it does have
its role to play – the main goal of the red diamond’s cut is to accent the
color as much as possible. As a result of that cuts like radiant, cushion,
emerald, and marquise which tend to emphasize the stone’s color are often
chosen for colored diamonds.
Best Red Diamond Alternatives
Given how absurdly rare and expensive
natural fancy red diamonds are, going for a lab-grown synthetic red diamond or
a color-enhanced red diamond is the most practical option to own one.
Synthetic Red Diamonds
Both synthetic and color-enhanced red
diamonds can be as gorgeous as natural diamonds and although they’re still
quite pricey, they’re much more affordable. A natural fancy red 0.5 carat
diamond can cost north of $200,000 but a 0.75 carat synthetic or color-treated
diamond that looks identical to it may cost around $4,000.
The difference between synthetic and
color-treated red diamonds is that synthetic diamonds are lab-grown from
scratch and are essentially “real” red diamonds that have just been
grown faster and in a controlled environment.
Color-treated diamonds, on the other hand,
are diamonds that weren’t initially red but have undergone post-growth
treatments of neutron and electron bombardments that have changed the structure
of their crystal lattice and turned them into red diamonds.
“Diamond purists” may not like
lab-grown synthetic diamonds or color-treated ones because they don’t quite
carry the prestige of a natural diamond. However, given that they look the
same, we’d say that synthetic and color-treated diamonds are a perfectly viable
alternative. Plus, their production is much more ethical, eco-friendly, and
efficient which is always a plus.
Gemstone Alternatives
The best natural alternative to red
diamonds are gemstones such as red garnet, the red andesine-labradorite, red
apatite, red bixbite, fire opals, red topaz, red tourmaline and rubelite, red
zircon, and of course – the ruby.
Ruby ring set in rose gold. Check Price Here.
Red spinel is an inexpensive alternative to red diamonds. Check Price Here.
Rubies are the most expensive and most
valuable out of those and they are closest to red diamonds in terms of both
hardness, rarity, and value.
All of these red gemstones look gorgeous
when they are of a high enough quality but if you do want a truly spectacular
and highly valued red gemstone than rubies and synthetic red diamonds are your
best bet.
Red Diamonds Symbolism
The cynics among us might say that if you
can afford a red diamond then you don’t really need anything else in life.
That’d be wrong, of course, and red diamonds are said to bring a lot of
different meanings and attributes to their wearer.
They are said to increase one’s willpower,
to brighten the wearer’s feelings, to make the impossible possible and urge the
wearer to try new and otherwise scary things, as well as to help you see the
hidden truths in life.
TagsColored Diamond
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