natural color colour diamond encyclopedia encyclopædia naturel naturelle diamant couleur encyclopédie natural color diamond fancy color diamond color diamond encyclopedia sectionmedia stephane aisinber vivid purple pink brilliant intense pink hexagon intense pink radiant brownish pink pear shape light brown cushion chocolat brown brilliant deep reddish brown pear shape olive green emerald grayish-yellow oval deep orange brilliant brownish-yellow heart shape intense orange oval vivid yellow triangle vivid orange yellow marquise yellow cushion olive green brilliant intense yellow pear shape deep yellow triangle deep olive green marquise olive brown cushion grayish olive oval intense greenish yellow princess yellowish green bishops hat intense yellowish green radiant vivid green blue oval grey blue pear shape grey brilliant intense blue Asscher cut deep blue oval

Cut vs. Color As a general rule, the cut of a precious stone will increase or decrease its color. For example Ceylan sapphires, which usually have a pale color, are cut with a deeper pavilion (the lower part of the stone) than Siam sapphires, which are darker. For colorless diamonds, the aim is to obtain the clearest possible stone and in order to achieve this, very precise proportions and cutting angles have been calculated for each facet. For color diamonds however, the primary aim is to re-enforce and even out the stone's color; the proportions that are considered ideal for colorless diamonds do not apply to color diamonds.                    The choice and value of types of cut is also different. On the colorless diamond market, round (brilliant) stones are worth more than fancy cuts, mainly because there is a higher loss in weight when one cuts a brilliant - 55% loss of the rough's weight for brilliant cuts against 40-45% for fancy cuts. For color diamonds, only beauty and sparkle count. The shape of the cut will be determined solely as the one that will best amplify them. This is why color diamonds most often have a fancy cut - and this does not have an impact on price. In relation to the intensification of color, fancy cuts offer more possibilities than the brilliant cut, whose proportions conform to rigorous criteria - angles, a precise number of facets etc. Indeed, light passing through the stone encounters a number of elements which are likely to absorb certain colors - for example, nitrogen atoms absorb blue light and make the diamond look yellow (yellow is the complementary color of blue). As a result, the longer the light travels through the stone, the greater the absorption of color. A larger table will make the stone lighter colored, whereas a thicker girdle or crown will make the color more intense. The number of facets can even be changed if this will intensify or improve the color. The cutter in fact tries to reach a balance between loss of brilliance and increase in color. All this to explain why color diamonds are most often cut in fancy shapes and less as brilliants. For color diamonds, the current trend is to develop new cuts which show off the colors of the stones even more - for example the Gabrielle, Lucère and Korloff cuts.