NATURAL GREEN DIAMONDS

The second rarest diamonds on earth.

Natural green diamonds with no other secondary hues or modifiers are rarer and more valuable than colorless diamonds.
The time required for a diamond to develop a green coloration may be as much as a million years or longer. Green diamonds of this nature are very unique.

SOURCES
Green diamonds are found predominately in regions of Africa and South America. They are mined in Brazil, South Africa, India, Australia, Congo, Ghana and Siberia.

RARITY
Natural green diamonds are second to red diamonds as the world's rarest fancy color. True greens devoid of secondary hue are the most valuable among natural green diamonds.

SYMBOLISM & MEANING
Green diamonds represent growth, health, hope and generosity.

VALUE
Natural color diamonds of any green hue are very rare, and therefore very valuable.
The strength of color is one of the most important factors in determining the value of a natural color diamond. The value of a natural color diamond increases with the intensity of the most prominent color within the diamond.

PRICING
Natural green diamonds continue to appreciate in value and set world record diamond prices. Depending on intensity and purity of color, they command astronomical prices. Natural green stones in the intense and vivid color intensity ranges that are above ¾ ct in weight are priced in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

GRADING
The Green colored, or, colorless, diamond is categorized into the following: Colorless, Nearly colorless, Faintly tinted (usually yellow), Lightly tinted (usually yellow) and Tinted (usually yellow but may progress to Greenish). The scale and grades for colorless diamonds goes from 'D' (colorless) to 'Z' (dark yellow).

WHAT CAUSES A DIAMOND TO BE GREEN
Pure or nearly pure Green diamonds are transparent and colorless.
Green color in diamonds is caused by exposure to the natural radiation in the earth. The most common form of radioactive material comes from alpha particles found in uranium compounds or from percolating groundwater.
Green spots on the surface of the diamonds or a thin green film may develop after long exposure to these particles.

NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL RADIATION
Natural radiation is the result of the diamond being exposed to radioactive uranium from rocks near the earth’s surface.
Artificial irradiation is achieved in a lab using a linear accelerator (called a linac), gamma rays or a nuclear reactor.

COMMON NAMES FOR GREEN DIAMONDS
Emerald green, bottle green, forest, grass, chartreuse, and teal.

SECONDARY COLORS
Green is the color between blue and yellow, so common secondary colors in green diamonds include bluish green and yellowish green, and if the color is desaturated, grayish green or brownish green will appear.

MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
The enhanced (irradiated) green is colored in a similar manner as they are done in nature. Using irradiation techniques under controlled laboratory conditions (similar to the natural process), the resultant green color obtained looks very similar to the natural ones. The enhanced green diamonds are relatively cheaper than the natural ones.

FAMOUS & RARE GREEN DIAMOND
The most famous natural-color green diamond and the second most famous one in the world is the Dresden Green.
The pear-shaped stone of exceptional quality weighs 40.7 carats and probably originated in the Kollur mine, near Golconda, in Southern India.
According to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the Dresden Green is a rare Type IIa diamond with a clarity grade of VS-1.