One of the many wonders of the world, or at least of the gem world, is that some gemstones can come in almost every color while other gems will look very similar to each other. It is kind of like how skittles come in every color, but milk duds are all the same. Diamonds are skittles, and if you are looking for your favorite flavor - I got you! I have dedicated this entire article to diamonds and their colors, and which of these diamond colors would look best on you. Plus, for fun, I threw in my picks for top diamond color based on your birth month! Literally, just another fantastic reason to love everything diamond!
How are Diamonds Colored?
Great question! If you know anything about diamonds it is probably the fact that they are made of pure carbon. If another element happens to sneak in (becoming a “trace element”) then this alters the chemical makeup of the diamond. This base alteration affects how light is absorbed on a microscopic level within the atoms, and this is what changes the overall color of the diamond.
Diamond Colors Available
Depending on which element is the trace element, the color of the diamond will change. So - when a diamond is pure carbon, it is colorless…which is how we imagine most diamonds to be, right? But in reality, a true colorless diamond is rare! Most diamonds have some kind of yellow or brown tint to them (which is actually caused by nitrogen in case you were curious). When this color is intense enough, or has enough trace elements mixed in, a diamond moves from the colorless grading scale to the fancy color grading scale. Fancy colored diamonds are a whole, crazy, vibrant, expensive, rare world unto themselves.
The most prized fancy colored diamond would be red, followed by pink, and then blue. We also have the options of orange, green, yellow, brown, purple, and black diamonds, respectively. This means we can quite literally find the perfect diamond color for everybody!
Diamond Color Based on Skin Undertones
The easiest way to figure out what color looks best on you is by determining what your skin’s undertone is. This is different than just the regular skin tone coloring because it doesn’t change (no matter how many mojitos by the pool you might or might not have…). You could be a warm, cool, or neutral undertone - with each type having their own perfect color palette to accentuate whichever beautiful hue you are. If you do not already know what undertone color category you fall into, then I have some tricks to try to help, plus those specific diamond colors best suited for each category!
Undertone Types
- Warm: peachy, yellow, or golden undertones.
- Cool: blue, pink, or reddish undertones.
- Neutral: olive or a mixture of warm and cool undertones.
4 Tricks to Determining Your Undertone
- Check the color of your veins: this is the OG way of determining your undertone color (or at least something I have always heard). If you can see your veins, and they look green or greenish-blue, you are a warm colored person. If your veins appear blue or purple, you are most likely a cool undertone person. And if you cannot see your veins or can’t tell what color they are - then you could be a neutral.
- Compare your face to something white: like a solid white t-shirt or a piece of paper. I would do this in natural light and with the hair pulled back for less color distraction. If your skin appears to have a pinkish or bluish hue compared to the paper, you have cool undertones. If you observe more of a peachy or yellow tint, then the tone is warm! If your skin doesn’t look strongly yellow or pink, then it is probably a neutral undertone for you.
- Knowing how your skin reacts to being in the sun: this can also be helpful (speaking of poolside mojitos!). Some people burn easily, and these people are usually cool toned. Others are quick to tan, which are our warm undertone folk. If you happen to burn first, but it turns straight to tan - most likely a neutral undertone.
- Take a look at your jewelry preferences: while this is a little less official, it can still be telling! Do you wear mostly gold? Then you are probably a warm. Are you a silver or white metal person?? Then cool undertones are possibly you! If you own a mix, then you could be a neutral… or all of this could just be your personal color preference in jewelry…
Best Diamond Color for Your Undertone
Okay now that we have the logistics out of the way, we can talk diamond colors! Each of our undertones will have specific diamond colors that compliment them, and this is that list:
- Warm Undertones: deep red, brown, orange, yellow, olive green… think earth toned diamond colors!
- Cool Undertones: purple, pink, emerald green, vibrant blue, bright white… we are going with jewel toned diamonds here! These colors can be very flattering to a cool undertone.
- Neutral Undertones: lucky you, you get the best of everything! Basically, any diamond color will flatter any person within this category.
Best Diamond Color Based on Birthday
This is a list of diamond colors that is based off of other gemstones that are already designated for each birth month… so it is super legit but way better because we are talking diamonds here!
- January: red or green diamonds.
- February: purple diamonds.
- March: greenish blue to blue diamonds.
- April: colorless or white diamonds.
- May: yellow green to blue green diamonds.
- June: green or purple diamonds.
- July: red diamonds.
- August: greenish yellow to yellowish green diamonds.
- September: blue diamonds.
- October: pink or black diamonds.
- November: yellow or orange diamonds.
- December: blue or violet diamonds.
Lastly, or most importantly, whatever color diamond you love is the perfect color for you regardless! The world of fancy colored diamonds is endlessly amazing and there could never be a wrong choice. And the reality of the situation is, if you are lucky enough to be one of those few people who own a colored diamond anyways - then you are a very lucky person! May your colored diamond hunt be full of vibrancy and sparkle!
