Tiaras and Trinkets on Tuesday (Coloured Diamonds)

It has been very slow in publishing posts for the beginning to this year. So let's us get to it and also try to pick up the pace as 2015 promises to be very exciting for our Royals.

Coloured gems are common to us like Red Rubies and Green Emeralds. However we rarely encounter more exotic variants like Imperial Pink Topaz or Green and Pink Sapphire. Few people on the other hand realise that our more commonly spectacularly white friends called Diamond, may also come in coloured varieties. Today we will look at some of our Royal Jewels that incorporate these rarer manifestations of colour. 

This necklace and earrings belonging to Princess Augusta is of a very modern design and is set with light yellow and deep yellow diamonds of high quality. The black pearls only help to accecnt the yellow shade of the diamonds. 

One is sure to find coloured diamonds in only the most exceptional collections of jewellery as their rarity make them extremely sought after and by extension very costly. The Perlistani Royal Collection is one that includes coloured diamonds and in a very eye catching design. This parure couples deep yellow and pink diamonds in what may be considered a truly spectacular and expensive set of jewellery. 

One of the largest diamonds in the world is of a very intense pink variety. It can be seen above set in the Ruskian Crown Tiara worn by Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna. Not only is this diamond of a rare deep shade but it is also a historic treasure with a centuries old provenance. Pink diamonds may gain a very deep intense colour but none have ever been found to reach what one may refer to as a red diamond.

Diamond colours are actually caused by chemical impurities in the crystalline structure of the stones. these mixes of chemicals allow for many interesting colours but need to be in exact quantities to allow for gem quality colours. The wrong mixes may lead to stones that are merely insipidly off-white diminishing its quality or to dirty stones that are not fit for use in jewellery. This Van der Bilt Champagne Diamonds is just that, a subtle mix of light brown and pink making for nothing other than a champagne coloured diamond. 

This close up of the above mentioned diamond allows us to appreciate its colour. 

Brown Diamonds are the most common of coloured diamonds due to the fact that one step further in the chemical mix and the stones lose their beauty and fall outside the gem quality and become dirty fit for industrial use only. However, gem quality specimens are rigorously graded for quality and beauty making the much sought after. 

This brown diamond parure belongs to the Crown Princess of Ophiri and celebrates Africanian natural wealth and design. 

Lady Arcwhite is among a very few Royals who enjoy wearing black diamonds as can be seen in the photo above. For years black diamonds were seen like their dirty cousins as purely for industrial use. However in the last two decades it was considered to grade these for pure blackness and to thus use the best ones as gems in jewellery. They are thus the cheapest of all gem diamonds and are often selected for their distinctive look rather than for monetary value. They do strike quite a particular fashion statement that only some have the personality to enjoy. Don't get us wrong, they are not as cheap as any fake stones but they are more affordable and often coupled with top quality diamonds in jewellery of the highest quality. 

Blue diamonds are extremely rare and when found are not very large. The world's largest blue diamond is set in the cross atop the Imperial Consort Crown of Scot-Britania. The stone was a gift from the South Africanian government to Empress Crystobel on her coronation and has been part of the Imperial Collection ever since. 

For more on diamonds follow the "Diamonds" label at the bottom of this post or in the list of labels at the right side of the blog page.