Green diamonds have a unique color resulting from natural irradiation while underground. This exposure to radiation alters the crystal structure, giving the diamond its distinct green look. Due to their rarity, green diamonds often come with a high price tag, making them a considerable investment.
Commonly used in high-end jewelry and custom pieces, green diamonds are perfect for those seeking a unique and eye-catching jewel. Whether you’re considering a green diamond for an engagement ring, a special gift, or as a collector’s item, the key is to prioritize color intensity and an even distribution of the hue across the stone for maximum impact. Always consult with a reputable dealer and confirm the diamond’s certification to ensure you are making a wise investment.
Here’s what we’ll cover in this article:
What is the origin of the green color in diamonds?
What are the color intensity levels of green diamonds?
How rare are green diamonds and how much do they cost?
What is the best setting to put a green diamond in?
Other beautiful jewelry for green diamonds
Why you should trust us
To help you with the diamond buying process we lean on our expertise and experience. The author of this article, our CEO, Mike Fried has over 20 years of experience in the diamond industry. Mike started from the bottom, sorting and evaluating hundreds of thousands of diamonds to learn every facet (pun intended) of diamond quality and value. Mike followed that up by spending years buying and selling diamonds on the wholesale market as well as selling tens of millions of dollars worth of diamonds to diamond retailers.
Bottom Line Recommendation:
We strongly recommend buying a green diamond from a vendor who offers high-quality photos, like James Allen or Leibish & Co. Color varies significantly within a specific color grade, and you want to ensure you’re getting what you pay for. In our experience, Leibish & Co. offers the best prices and customer experience in the Fancy Color Diamond market. They also provide the highest level of expertise when it comes to pairing the diamond with a jewelry setting.
Origin of Green Diamond’s Color
“Among fancy-color diamonds, natural-color green stones with saturated hues are some of the rarest and most sought after. These diamonds are colored either by simple structural defects produced by radiation exposure or by more complex defects involving nitrogen, hydrogen, or nickel impurities.” Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
The color of a green diamond originates from the exposure to radioactivity and the atomic radiation that the stone endured over millions of years. Even though the green color is a result of exposure to radioactivity, there’s no need to worry, as holding the stone isn’t dangerous at all. The formation process, however, is incredibly rare, resulting in a colored diamond that’s exceptionally difficult to obtain.
As with many other fancy color diamonds, natural green diamonds are extremely rare, and thus command a far higher price than artificially-colored diamonds.
In order to make identifying a genuine green diamond easier, some polishers have taken to leaving what’s called a “Natural” on the girdle of the stone. A “Natural” is an unpolished area between the girdle and pavilion, exposing the natural color of the rough. This mark allows gemologists assessing the stone to recognize the color as natural and provide the diamond with appropriate certification.
The GIA also offers diamond buyers the opportunity to receive an “origin of color” identification report for green diamonds to determine if their color is natural or artificial. However, the process of determining color can be challenging, as the type of radiation that creates a green color naturally is similar to that used to produce artificial color.
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Green Diamond’s Intensity Levels
Green diamonds range from a light green to a rich, deep hue. Here’s a stunning example of a green diamond from Leibish & Co. at its finest. A green diamond’s color grade is based on both the colors of the stone and the color intensity level.
The GIA grades green diamonds on the following scale:
- Faint Green
- Very Light Green
- Light Green
- Fancy Light Green
- Fancy Green
- Fancy Intense, Fancy Vivid and Fancy Deep
Pure green diamonds are preferred, but most of the stones contain secondary colors. These colors can be one or even two of the following hues: yellow, yellowish, blue, bluish, brown, brownish, gray, grayish, gray yellowish and grayish yellowish.
Green Diamond’s Rarity and Prices
Green diamonds are considered one of the rarer colors within the fancy diamond world. In fact, the only colors that are more difficult to find are red, pink, blue, violet and orange. Because of green’s extreme rarity, these diamonds are often far pricier than other colored diamonds. Even though green diamonds are technically less rare than a pink diamond, it’s still more difficult to source a good quality fancy green diamond.
Because of their rarity, green diamonds have long attracted attention. In fact, one of the world’s most famous fancy color diamonds is the Dresden Green diamond, a 41 carat natural green diamond that’s stored as part of Europe’s largest jewelry collection in the Dresden, Germany’s Green Vault.
Being on a budget doesn’t mean nixing the idea of owning a green diamond, though. In fact, often a very light green diamond contains a nice tint that adds uniqueness to the stone without breaking the bank. For instance, this 1.72 Carat round diamond from Leibish & Co. was relatively affordable in the green diamond world.
Overall, the prices of green diamonds range greatly depending on their size, shape, color, quality and source. Review Leibish & Co.’s collection of natural green diamonds to get a better understanding of what stones are available and their prices. You can also read our Leibish Review for more information on why we wholeheartedly recommend Leibish & Co. for anyone looking for fancy color diamonds.
Green Diamond Engagement Ring Settings
If you’re in the market for a green diamond, you’ll want to make sure you set the stone in a way that highlights the stone’s unique beauty. Review these examples for green diamond engagement rings for inspiration.
Style 1: Solitaire setting
Let your green diamond speak for itself with a simple, solitaire setting.
Solitare setting example: Fancy Light Yellowish Green Cushion Diamond Solitaire Ring from Leibish & Co.
Style 2: Halo setting
Surround your unique green stone with smaller colorless diamonds. The halo setting increases your Carat weight without taking away from the beauty of the green diamond.
Halo setting example: Light Green Radiant Diamond Halo Ring from Leibish & Co.
Style 3: Three-stone setting
Increase the surface area of your diamonds by choosing a three stone-setting. Emerald and tapered Baguette shapes make for excellent side stones.
Three-stone setting example: Fancy Bluish Green Diamond Three Stone Ring from Leibish & Co.
Popular Jewelry Settings for Green Diamonds
Turn your vision for unique jewelry into a reality. See examples below for inspiration on green diamond necklaces and earrings.
Green Diamond pendant inspiration: Fancy Green Cushion Diamond Pendant from Leibish & Co.
Green Diamond stud earrings inspiration: Very Light Green Diamond Stud Earrings from Leibish & Co.
To find a green diamond that will last as an heirloom for generations to come, look at options from Leibish & Co. and James Allen. For personal assistance or to have an expert review your purchase, contact us at anytime.
What we love about them:
- Largest and best inventory of fancy color diamonds
- Best prices for fancy color diamonds
- Industry leading expertise will ensure the color of your diamond is maximized in its setting
- Leading bidders in the annual Argyle auction
- Highest quality jewelry available online
- Free shipping
- Free resizing within first 2 years of purchase
- Items comes with professional appraisal for insurance
- 30 day no questions asked free return policy
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