An article was published by naturallycolored.com with the title “Are Black Diamonds Valuable.“
This is an informative and factual account on the value of black diamonds when compared to white diamonds. A distinction is drawn between natural black diamonds and treated black diamonds.
The article explains how diamonds with impurities reflect light as to have a color as opposed to the translucent shine and sparkle of the white diamond. Natural black diamonds are described as having so many inclusions uniformly spread across the stone as to appear completely black.
The above describes the natural black diamond which is in stark contrast to the treated diamond which is “painted” by means of irradiation or heat treatment. These treated black diamonds are produced from what is described as being cheap and of inferior quality as per a commercial evaluation. The treatment produces a deep green which appears black and removes the sheen and sparkle associated with white diamonds.
These treated diamonds have a lower retail value when compared to the natural black diamonds. Treated black diamonds as per this source are not to be confused with lab grown or synthetic diamonds and as real as any other diamond.
Other sources will further draw a distinction between Carbonados, the rarer black diamond, which is a diamond of a different kind so to speak. These black diamonds are not the same as the natural black diamonds described above. Whereas diamonds may contain inclusions which produce a spectrum of different colors including black, the real black diamond has a different structure and is even harder than the normal diamond.
The distinctive black diamond is rarer in terms of a number of aspects. Carbonados are mined in parts of Africa and South America. They are on average smaller and have a poly crystalline structure, which makes them harder yet more brittle. These features makes it harder to cut, polish and process black diamonds in an economically viable manner for the purposes of jewelry.
The article further compares the current prices as per their research of treated black diamonds, natural diamonds and white diamonds. To illustrate a few examples from the site a per carat price measure of a natural black diamond stays more or less constant regardless of the size of the diamond at $3000 per carat.
This is in contrast to the price of the much cheaper treated black diamonds which according to their research escalated slightly as the size of the diamond increases. This is similar to the colorless white diamond, which dramatically increases in value as the size increases.
In using this sample it was illustrated that a 3 carat white diamond would cost in the region of $36000 which would be more than the approximate $30000 price tag of a 10 carat natural black diamond Treated black diamonds as per this comparison would cost a mere $1500 for a 3 carat stone.
The article closes with the question “So… which would you prefer? Size or Color?”
The driving factor of price is obviously supply and demand. If the demand for black diamonds rise, will it be more economically viable to treat a large diamond which falls short in terms of the desired color or would it simply be cut into smaller pieces for background decoration in support of a higher quality gemstone.
