What are Fancy White Diamonds?

One thing is for sure these are not your average white diamonds. Fancy white diamonds a unique rarity that is certainly under appreciated. Now, what are fancy white diamonds really?

How Fancy White Diamonds are Formed:

Fancy white diamonds are a remarkable occurrence in the world of diamonds, displaying a unique white color often described as milky or hazy. To my eyes they have a beautiful glow to them like no other diamond.They belong to a rare forgotten category of fancy color diamonds because, unlike other varieties, their coloration does not stem from non-carbon elements or atomic-level defects. According to the GIA, their white opalescent appearance originates from two distinct phenomena: nano inclusions and dislocation loops which scatter light, creating the diamonds captivating hue.

Photo Credit: The Gemological Institute of America

How Are Fancy White Diamond Different from other natural diamonds?

Below you will see a comparison of the two diamonds, it is clear to even the naked eye that the fancy white diamond has a glow the colorless diamond does not. There is also a notable difference between the color gradings of colorless, fancy colors, and fancy white diamonds. Colorless diamonds are graded in the color ranging from D-YZ from the GIA. Same applies to fancy colors; they have variations including fancy light yellow to fancy intense yellow. These gradings don't apply to fancy white diamonds. They are either fancy white or they are not. 

Photo Credit: The Gemological Institute of America

Fancy white diamonds are rarer than most believe, there are two reasons you probably aren't familiar with them. This creation is so complex it is extremely difficult to find a fancy white diamond in larger sizes. In fact there is no famous fancy white diamond in public record and no fancy white diamond over 10 carats in auction history. Secondly, fancy white diamonds are primarily Type 1AB diamonds which is one of the deepest forming diamonds in the earth. The GIA's studies show that the these rare diamonds are subjected to an unusual conditions for nitrogen containing diamonds like higher pressure and temperatures giving their famous glow proving their deeper origin.