Diamonds come in a rainbow of vivid hues–yellows, reds, pinks, blues, greens, purples, and shades in-between.

Natural fancy color diamonds get their coloring in different ways:

• From different trace elements present in the stones, such as nitrogen, which produces a yellow diamond.

• From exposure to radiation during the diamond's creation. Green diamonds are an example of gems affected by radiation.

• Inclusions, regarded as undesirable in a colorless stone, often contribute unique tones and interesting flashes of color in a fancy color diamond.

Natural diamonds outside the D-to-Z color range are called “fancy colored diamonds.” You may also hear them called “fancies.” To be considered “fancy colored” a diamond must display one of the following features:

• They are yellow or brown diamonds that have more color than a Z masterstone (the endpoint of GIA's D-to-Z scale)

• They exhibit a color other than yellow or brown.