Diamonds are classified based on the type and quantity of chemical impurities that are found in them. There are generally two types of diamonds. Type I are those that contain nitrogen molecules, Type II diamonds are those that contain impurities other than nitrogen. These impurities can only be seen through strong laboratory microscopes.

About 20 percent of all natural diamonds are used as gemstones. The majority of them are used for industrial purposes.

98 percent of all diamonds are Type I diamonds. They are colorless, yellow, or brown. The remaining 2 percent are Type II diamonds. They are the purest, and are therefore the rarest. They are either colorless, or come in different colors like yellow, brown, blue, grey, purple, and pink.

White Diamonds

White diamonds are the most common type of diamonds around. They are mined all over the world and come in a vast array of shapes and sizes. The most valuable types of white diamonds are the most colorless or the whitest diamonds.

Colored Diamonds

One of the four Cs of diamond is color. In the case of colored diamonds, the intensity of the color is what makes them valuable.

Yellow diamonds – yellow diamonds come in a wide variety of shades ranging from very light yellow to a deeper canary color.

Blue diamonds – blue diamonds also come in a wide array of shades ranging from sky blue to a steely sapphire hue.

Pink diamonds – pink diamonds are the rarest and most valuable diamonds in the world. The primary source of pink diamonds is the Argyle mine in the remote north of Western Australia. Pink diamonds from the Argyle mine have the richest color. Although the Argyle mine is the foremost source of pink diamonds, less than 1/10 of 1% of their diamond production is classified as pink.

Champagne diamonds – champagne diamonds come in a variety of colors ranging from light straw to rich cognac.