What are white diamonds: how good and expensive they are

A simple guide to white diamonds – those that are undeservedly overlooked. Please,  don’t confuse them with colorless diamonds!

Diamonds are as high as ever – classic colorless ones have been on the top for decades, and fancy colored diamonds are gaining momentum and breaking all records at international auctions. Among this diversity, there are stones that are being unfairly bypassed for now. These are White ?iamonds. They are also called Milky, Cloud and Translucent diamonds.

Perhaps, the problem is that many people do not even know about their existence yet. In order to correct this unfair situation, we have collected the most important information about them. 

What are White Diamonds?

White Diamonds are not colorless. White Diamonds are exactly white stones – not transparent and opalescent. They resemble the color of milk or white water. 

What makes diamonds white?

Such an unusual white color in diamonds is caused by special inclusions. They make the light in the stone scatter. As a result, the diamond’s color changes and turns into a milky shade. 

Although the nature of these inclusions is unclear, some experts believe that it is connected to the presence of nitrogen in the pure structure of carbon. Simply put, White Diamonds do not consist of any special elements giving them their color, unlike in other colored diamonds.

Sometimes White Diamonds are called “opalescent”. It is because of colorful flashes that can be seen when watching the stone face-up. This play of color resembles white opals – that is why White Diamonds are opalescent. 

White Diamonds’ color chart 

These stones fall outside the D to Z color scale – they are not colorless, but they are also not fancy colored. White is a color that does not appear on the color spectrum – white is the sum of all colors. 

White Diamonds are not measured by the level of saturation – they are called just Fancy White. 

White Diamonds’ value

The value of diamonds is determined by criteria called 4C (color, cut, clarity and carat weight). And the White Diamond is no exception here.

Although White Diamond is a great rarity, it is not as valuable as Colorless Diamonds or any fancy color diamonds. Its unusual color in this case plays against it. 

But the cut is incredibly important if we are talking about a White Diamond. It affects how the diamond reflects light and sparkles. Despite the fact that the White Diamond does it quite modestly, the correct cut allows it to opalesce incredibly beautifully.

As a rule, if the diamond’s clarity is low, its price reduces. However, a White Diamond with low clarity can get good value if it has a face-up color that is attractive. How it reflects light, despite being opalescent, matters most. 

As for the carat weight, the rule here is the same even for White Diamonds. The bigger the stone, the more valuable it is. 

White Diamonds’ mines

White Diamonds are mostly mined in Panna, India. 

Other locations are quite difficult to determine. This is due to the fact that White Diamonds are extremely rare – many do not get into expert laboratories.

White Diamonds vs Colorless Diamonds

Colorless Diamonds are not the same as White Diamonds. There are several core differences that make each of these diamonds unique.

Firstly, the color. It is the most obvious difference. White Diamond looks white, milky or even opalescent. Sometimes people who have never heard of White Diamonds don’t even take them for a diamond. They are so different from their colorless siblings.

Secondly, popularity. Everything is quite simple here: everyone knows about Colorless Diamonds. People dream of receiving them as a gift, seeing them on an engagement ring, buying them at an auction. A real cult has developed around Colorless Diamonds. But few people really know about White Diamonds. And even fewer o would like to get them into their collection..

Thirdly, brilliance. White Diamonds do not have much of it. Its natural inclusions make the stone cloudy, not allowing any light reflection. But everyone knows about the brilliance of Colorless Diamonds. How incredibly beautiful they shimmer in the sun!

Finally, value. In this criteria, White Diamonds are absolutely losing to its Colorless siblings. There is little demand for White Diamonds – however, the supply is also small. They’re just not very interesting for most people. And the price for Colorless Diamonds is usually off the charts as well as the hype around them.
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