What is a coloured diamond

Coloured diamonds, known in the trade as fancy colour diamonds, are diamonds with a definite body colour rather than the near colourless appearance most people picture. They occur across a spectrum of hues, including yellow, pink, blue, green, orange, brown, purple, red and black, and in nature they are far rarer than colourless stones. Less than one in every few hundred diamonds shows a meaningful fancy colour, and the strongest, purest colours are rarer still.

Unlike colourless diamonds, which are graded for the absence of colour, fancy colour diamonds are graded for the presence of it, assessed by hue, tone and saturation, with grades running from Fancy through Fancy Intense to Fancy Vivid for the strongest stones. The colour is the main thing that gives the stone its value and character.

What gives a diamond its colour

Different colours come from different causes. Yellow and orange come from nitrogen in the crystal structure, while blue comes from boron. Green comes from natural radiation underground. Pink, red, purple and most brown come not from any trace element but from a distortion in the crystal called plastic deformation, which changes the way light passes through the stone. Black comes from dense inclusions of dark material such as graphite. In a lab grown coloured diamond, these same colours are achieved during the controlled growth of the stone.

The heritage of coloured diamonds

The world's most famous diamonds are coloured ones. The blue Hope Diamond, the pink CTF Pink Star that sold for over 71 million dollars, the green Dresden Green, the yellow Tiffany Diamond worn by Audrey Hepburn, the orange Pumpkin Diamond worn by Halle Berry, the black Black Orlov with its tale of a curse. Each of these is a natural stone of extraordinary rarity and value, and together they are why coloured diamonds carry such prestige. Lab growing now puts that same range of colour within reach of an engagement ring.

Why lab grown makes coloured diamonds attainable

The most sought after coloured diamonds command extraordinary prices when mined, and the rarest colours are effectively unobtainable. Growing them in a laboratory is what makes these colours attainable, giving you the same brilliance and the same colour with a clear, traceable origin at a realistic price. From the warmth of yellow and champagne to the rarity of pink, blue, green and red, a coloured diamond lets you choose a stone that reflects your own taste rather than convention. Lab grown diamonds are created in advanced laboratories using the same processes that form diamonds within the earth. The result is a real diamond, with the same chemical, physical and optical properties as a mined stone, the only difference being its origin. Each diamond is grown under controlled conditions, which makes it fully traceable and conflict free, and removes the environmental impact of mining.

Choosing a colour and setting

Each colour suits different metals and settings. Warm colours such as yellow, champagne, brown and orange pair naturally with yellow and rose gold, while cooler and rarer colours such as blue, green and pink often look their best against platinum or white gold, or set off by a halo of colourless diamonds. A solitaire lets a colour speak for itself, while halo, shoulder set and trilogy designs add brilliance and can frame the centre stone with colourless or coloured accents. Browse by colour below to explore each option in detail.

Buying a coloured diamond ring from Lily Arkwright

This collection can be viewed by appointment at the London and Manchester showrooms, where a consultant can talk through colour, shape and setting in person. WhatsApp video and virtual consultations are available for anyone who would rather start from home.

Each ring is made to order in platinum or 18ct gold, with free and insured global shipping.