Chameleon Diamonds: Twice the Ice

 

Many consumers, and even some jewelers, are totally unaware that chameleon diamonds exist. In fact, you might have owned, at some point in your life or still have in your possession, a chameleon diamond. A diamond itself is truly a splendorous gift of nature, but a chameleon diamond is an unusually rare dazzler with a little more pizzazz.

Chameleon diamonds are natural, untreated diamonds that change color due to storage in the dark or exposure to intense heat. Chameleon diamonds occur

naturally in a grayish, yellow-green color and turn yellow with excessive heat, and a darker green color after having been stored in the dark. The color change is temporary. The bigger the chameleon diamond, the more evident the variations in color will be. This type of diamond is extremely rare. There are no other natural diamonds that have the characteristics of thermochroism and photochroism. Thermochroism is the deviation in color due to the element of heat, and photochroism is the color change due to the lighted environment.

Australia’s Argyle diamond mine at times has unearthed chameleon diamonds that have a gray/blue or gray/olive color. Little is known at this time as to what it is exactly that causes the chameleon diamonds to change color. One theory is that the hydrogen content of chameleon diamonds triggers the temporary change in color. Another theory mentions the fluorescent and phosphorescent properties of these incredibly rare diamonds. Due to the fluorescent trait, different wavelengths of light are absorbed and then re-transmitted to other wavelengths of light. Phosphorescence is the same type of process, but has more of a delayed effect.

Fancy colored diamonds have nitrogen, hydrogen, or boron content and can be found naturally in colors of yellow, brown, blue, and pink. Some diamonds that have been exposed to radiation will have a green color. Fancy colored diamonds, however, do not possess the color changing characteristics that make the chameleon diamonds such a unique rarity in the world of diamonds. 

The first written documentation of chameleon diamonds was in 1943. These diamonds have been in existence for a long time, but few people were aware that the diamonds had the ability to change colors. Therefore, it is entirely possible that many jewelers have sold them without truly knowing of the uniqueness of those stones. As more people are becoming aware of chameleon diamonds, they are wondering if they ever let one of these treasures slip through their hands. If you’re trying to determine whether or not your diamonds are chameleon diamonds, the safest thing for you to do is to let a lab test them. If the diamonds you own happen to be enhanced diamonds, exposure to excessive heating could cause your enhanced diamonds to permanently change color, perhaps to a color you really don’t care for. Labs will have the proper equipment for testing.

In 2001, a platinum chameleon diamond ring over 4 carats sold for $240,000 at a Hong Kong auction. Chameleon diamonds are truly ice with a price that has collectors scrambling to find them. Diamond brilliance with a color change—that’s twice the ice.

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