Color Treated Diamonds (7.29)

Color Treated Diamonds (7.29)

The term “fancy color” should be reserved for naturally occurring colors. The term should not be used when artificially treated color is involved.

Irradiated Diamonds: Irradiation is the process of molecular bombardment with high-energy particles to produce a variety of colors in rearranging the lattice on an atomic level. Sometimes annealing, heating and cooling at very specific temperatures), will follow  to further enhance the  color many times producing pinks, reds and purple hues. Irradiation is considered a permanent treatment under normal wear,  so GIA will issue reports. Typically the brown hues will be selected for this process turning into yellows or other varieties.    

Diamond Annealing: Annealing is also done without irradiation to enhance the color of the diamond especially in black diamonds.  In fact most black diamonds have under gone this type of treatment. The specific temperature and gas surrounding the diamond in a vacuum chamber will affect the color outcome. Again, this is considered a permanent treatment so GIA will issue reports.

High-Pressure High Temperature Diamond Treatment (HPHT): This type of annealing is used with a press, similar to the press used in creating lab-grown diamonds, to alter the atomic lattice turning the typical browns into yellows or greens. Again, since this is considered a permanent treatment GIA will issue report.

Coated Diamonds: An extremely thin coating, (silica), is applied to the diamond to enhance the existing color or change it completely. Other elements can be added to the silica to formulate different colors. Since this coating will scratch and wear over time,  GIA does not consider this a permanent treatment so lab reports are not eligible. Since the coating would not be considered permanent, watch for damage on the immediate surface such as abrasions and scratches. In addition an acid bath would easily remove the coating.

Lower right courtesy of: Serenity Technologies, Inc.