So – who likes colored diamonds?It seems like it’s the latest craze among jewelry connoisseurs.While they are extremely popular to buy, it’s a good case of “customer beware” when it comes to buying one.Natural colored diamonds are very rare and very expensive, so if someone offers to sell you a natural colored diamond at a very inexpensive price, put on your ”customer beware” hat and really look at what you are purchasing.
If someone is offering you an in expensive colored diamond, it probably has been “treated” in some manner.While there is nothing wrong with a treated colored diamond, as a consumer, do your research and make sure you know what you are buying.
So – how does a colored diamond get treated?There are a few different methods being used today.Amount the most popular are Coatings and High Pressure High Temperature Treatment (HPHT).
Coatings – This is taking a diamond with a lot of natural flaws and using a coating to change the color and mask the flaws in the diamond.The risk of this method is that care needs to be taken with the diamond or the coating can come off.Coatings are applied with heat, so applying heat again to the diamond can cause the coating to peel off.The coating can also rub off through normal wear and cleaning.
HPHT – this is normally used with natural brownish colored diamonds and high pressure along with high temperature is applied to the diamonds to increase the natural color of the diamond.There are some companies that claim this process just completed what nature started.After this process, it is difficult to tell that the diamond has been treated, but should be listed as HPHT Annealed or Artificially Irradiated.
The advantage of treated diamonds is that they are now more affordable.One should not consider them an investment, but a purchase of desire for owning a fancy diamond.
