White Diamond

A diamond is always referred to as an eternal gemstone of beauty owing to its durability, stability and hardness. It is primarily composed of the element Carbon, arranged in a crystal structure, making it brilliant, built inside the Earth mantle. It was pushed to the Earth surface by volcanic activity. Its hardness and high level of dispersion of light into spectral colours are two characters that make a diamond one of the most desired gems in jewellery making.

Diamonds are certified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the Diamond High Council (HRD) in Belgium. The GIA usually certifies white diamonds of Carat weigh more than 0.5. The smaller ones are not certified as it is uneconomical; a lot of time and money are expended in the procedure.
The GIA also classifies diamonds from D to Z, D being colourless advancing in colour to Z which is light yellow. The colourless white diamonds are the purest of all, like water, that is D.

The next category consists of white diamonds with no tint of secondary colours and appears white. Further coming down in grade, the diamonds may occur in shades of brown, blue, grey and yellow colours, all of which are not as valuable as the colourless ones. Pure white diamonds without the milky white colour or tints of secondary colours are rare and are mostly preferred by jewellers.
The colour tints are mainly attributed to the impurities present in the diamond. If contaminants are absent and the diamonds are purely made of carbon, they will appear colourless.

At the time of formation in the Earth mantle, all diamonds are usually yellow in colour. Based on the nature of impurities present namely Nitrogen or Boron atoms, a colour centre will be formed inside which absorbs all other colours of visible light, reflecting the colour in which it appears. But in the case of white diamonds, during their formation inside the mantle, they get subjected to pressure and temperature, causing one or two nitrogen atoms to join together and create two, three or four colour centres none of which absorb white light. This is the reason for their white colour.

The colour of white diamonds becomes more pronounced when studded in gold or platinum. They are perfect for engagement rings. The common man can mostly access white diamonds with the yellowish tint due to their inexpensiveness compared to other diamond colours.