Green Diamonds

Green diamonds are formed when the stone is exposed to natural radiation while it is forming. When the radiation touches the host rock the stone is developing within, it causes selective absorption. Because the absorption is selective, it often does not color the diamond uniformly. Sometimes only small patches of green are formed on the surface of the diamond. This is why good green diamonds are so difficult to find. After red, green is the rarest color in diamonds. Most of the time, when radiation only affects the surface of the diamond, it can be cut and polished to look colorless. Hydrogen has also been found to cause a grayish-green coloring to some stones. The Dresden Diamond is the most famous green diamond in the world and is valued because of its “apple-green” hue. Although heating the stone can cause a deepening of color, if the temperature is reached above 600 Celsius, there is a good chance of turning the stone pale yellow or even brown. This contributes to the rarity of green diamonds because temperatures within the earth could easily change their coloring. Green diamonds often contain secondary colors like orange, yellow, or brown. These may alter the green coloring of the stone when viewed from different angles. Green diamonds have been found in Africa, South Africa, and Asia. The GIA has established eight color saturation grades for green diamonds that follow as such; very light, light, fancy light, fancy, intense, deep, dark, and vivid. Also, color combinations such as yellow-green and blue-green are taken into account.