where can I find/buy colored diamonds

[icelovr]

I am trying to locate tiny (2 - 4 pt each) round blue, pink or yellow diamonds - excellent quality and cut - as always, decent price...

Thanks in advance for any help -

Icelovr

 

[ep6585]

Try contacting Wink Jones at Winfields. Several people on PS have had him make settings with colored diamonds.

 

[diamondsbylauren]

HI Icelover,

If you like yellow, you'll have a lot more money at the end of the day.
I'd say the price range here would be less than $1000 PC for light yellow up to about $3500 pc for deeper yellows
Pinks are more readily avaiable than blues.
Still, nice natural pure pink .02-.04's will probably set you back between $3000-$10000 per carat.

If you don't mind a pink/brown stone, you will probably find stones in the $1500-$3000 PC range.

I'd say stones which are noticably blue could bring over 20K PC.

I'm speaking if natural diamonds.
Irradiated ( color treated) stones are far less.

hope this helps!

 

[icelovr]

Hi David - thanks for your response. You mention color treated diamonds - could you tell me a bit about that and what the implications are for long term. Will the color fade? Can they be cleaned like regular diamonds? Among those in the jewelry business, are they considered "cheesy" diamonds?...how much less is "far less" - do the stones look different as compared to natural diamonds?

About how many stones (.02 - .03 round) would be needed to do 1/2 way around a band - size 5?

Any help would be appreciated..
Me

 

[diamondsbylauren]

I think the great thing about buying a diamond is that it's for you ( or a gift)- what difference does it make if someone thinks it's cheezy.

After thinking about this I would say I probably misspoke as far as "far less"
It depends on the color- irradiated blues or pinks might bring $1500 or more PC in the smaller sizes.
I don't deal in treated stones, but I'm guessing nice colored treateds are also hard to find.

 

[yowahking]

Color treated are not hard to find the last few years. There are a few treatments, the older one is irradiation, and is pretty stable except for torch heat. In other words, once the little ones are set, don't let some yahoo jeweler put a torch near them to fix something or change a head. The irradiated ones are usually yellow, green, blue green, and blue. Very rarely you find redish purple to purple, and pink. Even the treaters don't really know why so few in this range. I have experimented with batches of diamonds where I looked at everything about them and made notes and still could not figure out why one or two came back a goofy color. The new process is called HTHP or HPHT as some people mix it up. Pretty amazing process of bringing diamonds to the point of turning the molecules to graphite powder and then like a chiropracter adjusting the alignment of molecules. Too little time and no change, too much time and pencil lead. Once the diamonds are treated they have to be repolished and for some reason, neon greens, reds, purples, can show up. No dye, no irradiation, natural with a tweek of technology. GIA missed many stones before being suspicious of so many of the same type coming through, because they had no way of identifying the treatment. Now they do. THere is also a new treatment for melee that no one is sharing how it is done, but no irradiation, just heat and I suspect another mineral in the chamber, and the colors are much brighter. Most of the colored diamond dealers will not deal with the public, so work hard or find a good jeweler who will only add 10-20% and you should be under $1000 pct for treated, and under $2000 a ct for natural in those sizes other than Red, forget red. $$$$$$$$$$