FANCY COLOURED GREEN DIAMONDS

WHERE ARE FANCY COLOURED LOOSE GREEN DIAMONDS FOUND?

The majority of Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamonds are mined in Brazil, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

HOW ARE FANCY COLOURED LOOSE GREEN DIAMONDS FORMED AND WHAT GIVES THEM THEIR COLOUR?

Most Natural Fancy Coloured Diamonds derive their colouration from impurities and other elements. Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamonds are different. Their origin of colour is caused by atomic radiation or radioactivity during the diamond’s formation that displaces the carbon atoms from their normal positions in the crystal structure. This occurs naturally when diamond deposits lie near radioactive rocks, or artificially as a result of treatment by irradiation.

This radiation, whether natural or artificial, causes the green colouration of Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamonds. However, what makes these diamonds so valuable is that the radiation only infiltrates a short distance into the stone so does not usually affect the entire gem. This gives it what can only be described as a ‘green skin’ which means that most green diamonds are only green on the surface - so their beauty really is only skin deep!

WHAT ARE CHAMELEON DIAMONDS?

Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamonds also exhibit another extremely rare phenomenon which is that of ‘Chameleon Diamonds’. These are green diamonds that have the innate ability to change colour adapting to their environment and temporarily switching hues – very much like a Chameleon in the wild. They change colours between green, yellow and brown. No other gemstone possesses this ability and this is why ‘Chameleon Diamonds’ are twice as rare and are highly sought-after by diamond collectors or investors.

WHAT SHADES AND HUES DO FANCY COLOURED LOOSE GREEN DIAMONDS COME IN?

Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamonds can be found with single, pure colour, but most often contain one or even two secondary hues. The various overtone colours of a green as defined by the GIA are Yellow, Yellowish, Blue, Bluish, Brown, Brownish, Grey, Grayish, Gray Yellowish, and Grayish Yellowish.

In addition to the many colour options, Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamonds are found in several intensities. These have a very significant impact on the price of the diamond. The intensity levels for Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamonds are Feint, Very Light, Light, Fancy Light, Fancy, Fancy Intense, Fancy Vivid, and Fancy Deep.

Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamonds are very commonly light in tone and low in saturation. Their colour often appears muted, with a grayish or brownish cast and the hue is generally in the yellowish green category.

In the majority of Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamonds the hue is confined to the surface, and rarely extends through the entire stone. This explains why when cutting a green diamond it is acceptable to leave as much of the natural rough around the girdle as possible, this also proves authenticity.

When processed, many of the diamonds that appear green in the rough ultimately end up as white diamonds or light yellow diamonds (sometimes referred to as ‘Silvery Capes’). If a brown coloration patch appears naturally in a Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamond, the GIA recommend that the patches be left visible because they indicate that the diamond is ''naturally'' green and has not undergone any irradiation treatment such as artificial colouring. Hence, the brown patch does not affect the price of the stone in any way.

ARE NATURAL FANCY COLOURED LOOSE GREEN DIAMONDS RARE?

Natural Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamonds are extremely rare and they are very difficult to discover in diamond mines. Pure green diamonds hardly ever occur, and those of Fancy Vivid Green are the rarest of all so making them the highest priced.

ARE FANCY COLOURED LOOSE GREEN DIAMONDS EXPENSIVE AND ARE THEY A GOOD INVESTMENT?

As Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamonds are a very rare find they are of course very highly prized and attract top prices. In the last 40 years there has been only a handful of Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamonds appearing at auction, but when they do the price achieved for these green beauties totally reflects their scarcity. Fancy Vivid Green diamonds are the rarest and therefore naturally command the highest prices.

Sadly as stunning as Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamonds are to behold, they are not as in demand as other colours of Natural Fancy Coloured Diamonds such as red, pink or blue. Therefore they are not as expensive in per carat price or total price as these other colours.

This also means that Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamonds do not qualify as investment diamonds but rather as collectors’ diamonds to keep rather than as an asset to resell.

ARE THERE ANY FAMOUS FANCY COLOURED LOOSE GREEN DIAMONDS?

The most famous and largest Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamond is the ‘Dresden Green’ diamond which is a stunning 40.70-carat believed to have originated in India in the 18th century. It has a clarity grade of VS-1, which was received by the GIA in 1988 and uniquely its colouration is uniformly distributed throughout.

Another equally famous Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamond is the ‘Aurora Green’ which holds the title of the largest ever Fancy Vivid Green diamond weighing 5.03 carat. It is not only famous because of its size but also because of its VS2 clarity, and the fact that it has no fluorescence which is extremely rare for such a diamond.

The ‘Aurora Green’ was auctioned by Christie’s Hong Kong on May 31st 2016 and sold for an astounding $16.8 Million. The price per carat of the Aurora Green was therefore in excess of $3.3 million dollars. This price tag paid smashed the record set by the auction of the Ocean Dream Diamond – a 5.5 carat vivid blue-green in 2014 that sold for $8.6 million total equivalent to $1.5 million per carat.

Other famous Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamonds include The Chopard Chameleon.

HAVE ANY FAMOUS CELEBRITIES WORN FANCY COLOURED LOOSE GREEN DIAMONDS?

Being an extremely rare diamond there are not many who have been lucky enough to wear a piece of jewellery featuring Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamonds. However there are some who have been fortunate enough including royalty, but even for these privileged individuals green diamonds are considered a very luxurious item.

The world famous ‘Orlov Diamond’ is a bluish-green diamond with the proportions of half a chicken’s egg. This breath taking green diamond belonged to Catherine the Great of Russia and is set upon her Imperial Sceptre. There are a total of 180 facets on the diamond which features a rose-style cut.

Queen Elizabeth is world renowned as a collector of some of the most famous Natural Fancy Coloured Diamonds. A highly rare green chameleon diamond was bought for her by an anonymous donor. It is a very impressive 3 carat in weight and is heart shaped.

Actress Blake Lively an American actress who rose to fame starring in the CW drama series Gossip Girl was often see in 2010 and 2011 wearing the most exquisite Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamond ring designed by Lorraine Schwartz. The ring consists of highly prized and very rare deep green coloured diamonds.

WHERE CAN I BUY FANCY COLOURED LOOSE GREEN DIAMONDS?

Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamonds are extremely rare and incredibly unique. They are mesmerizing in their beauty and as such should never be mistaken for other green stones as they really are incomparable to other gemstones.

Rêve Diamonds of Hatton Garden, London are one of only a very few jewellers who can offer their valued customers the choice from an impressive collection of Fancy Coloured Loose Green Diamonds.