How Colored Diamonds Are Made

The Source of Color in Diamonds

Diamonds can be found in almost any shade or color. The source of a diamond's color comes from impurities that have bonded with the carbon lattice that makes up the diamond. Grays and blues can be found in diamonds with boron impurities. Nitrogen is responsible for yellow and brown diamonds. Irradiated diamonds are known to display green hues.

Natural Diamond Coloring

Diamonds naturally form under conditions of extremely high temperatures and pressures. As they form deep in the earth, impurities to seep into the carbon in the diamond. Because of variations in heat and pressure during diamond formation, these impurities can bond with the carbon and cause different colors to display in the resulting diamond.

Artificial Diamond Coloring

Diamonds, as with other crystals, can be produced artificially. Synthetic diamonds must be produced under extremely high temperatures and pressures. Because of this, high-pressure presses and even explosions are used to create diamonds. There is also a chemical process for growing diamonds as other crystals are grown. In this method, it is easier to control chemical impurities placed in the growing diamond. Through this process, the rainbow of colors present in natural diamonds may be replicated in synthetic diamonds.