A Guide to Natural Green Diamonds

At Langerman Diamonds we are proud to host the world’s largest collection of natural fancy color diamonds, an unbelievable spectrum of over 350 colors. From subdue tones like champagne diamonds, to bright saturated hues like our canary yellow diamonds, we have all kinds of enchanting colors. But no gem is as electric as our neon lime green diamonds.

Before news broke about Jennifer Lopez’s engagement to Ben Affleck, green diamonds were unknown to most people. The actress-singer shared a video announcement on her newsletter, showing off a Green diamond engagement ring that baffled most fans. In the video, JLo mentions green is her “lucky color”. Maybe it’s yours too.

Keep on reading to learn more:

• Are Green diamonds real diamonds?

• How much do Green diamonds cost?

• Famous fancy Green diamonds.

• Green diamond jewelry inspiration.

4 Things to Know About Green Diamonds

1. What makes diamonds green?
   Most natural color diamonds owe their spectacular hues to the presence of other elements’ atoms such as hydrogen, nitrogen, or boron, but Green diamonds are a completely different story. Natural Green diamonds were exposed to gamma radiation during their formation under the Earth’s crust for a very long period—possibly several million years. This natural occurrence displaces electrons and carbon atoms out of their normal location in the diamond’s crystal lattice; changing how light travels through the diamond and causing it to have a green appearance.
   
   Read more about the origin of color in diamonds.
   
   

2. Are Green diamonds safe?
   Yes, natural fancy Green diamonds are safe to wear and touch. Despite being exposed to radioactive material, they are not radioactive themselves, and therefore not dangerous.
    
   

Natural Green Diamond Sitting On Top Of a Macaron.

3. Where do green diamonds come from?
   Green diamonds have been found in India, the Central African Republic, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Brazil, and Guyana. 

Two natural Olive diamonds, almost polished to heart shapes, and a pear Lime diamond.

4. How valuable are Green diamonds?
   Their price is determined by their Carat weight, their Clarity, the quality of their Cut, and of course—the most influential factor in this case—their Color. Green diamonds will often have secondary hints of yellow, gray, or blue, which can impact their price making them more accessible.

Learn more about Green Diamonds in our Buying Guide

The Importance of Cut

This Green Diamond Reminds of a Dark Green Forest.

 When describing the quality of a colorless diamond, all four 4C’s are important: Clarity, Color, Carats, and Cut. But, for natural color diamonds, Color becomes the most relevant factor.

For a Langerman Diamond, Color is top priority. But exceptional color is only achieved through a masterful cut. When approaching a rough diamond, our cutters follow an artistic journey that begins with examining the stone’s color distribution. Carat weight and clarity take a back seat and determining the best strategy to enhance the diamond’s color becomes a top priority. If a diamond has a color that’s already dark, it can’t be cut too deep as this may darken it even more. 

0.56 carat Lime Green Diamond, Fancy Bishop Hat Cut.

Another singularity of cutting natural color diamonds is the selection of the shape. For colorless stones, the round brilliant cut is the most sought-after shape as it maximizes the beautiful sparkling effect diamonds are loved for. However, the round cut is not always the most flattering shape for colored diamonds. Fancy cuts like the radiant, pear, Asscher, and marquise are often better choices to showcase a diamond’s color.

Famous Fancy Green Diamonds 

The Dresden Green Diamond

1. The Dresden Green
   The Dresden Green Diamond is a rare pear-cut, Type IIa diamond with VS1 clarity and incredible uniform color. Weighing 41 carats, it’s the largest polished green diamond in the world. The Dresden Green is believed to have been mined in India, although Brazil is also a possible source. The oldest record of its existence dates back to 1772 when it was mentioned in a London newspaper article.
   
   On November 25th, 2019, there was a heist at Dresden’s Green Vault Museum where up to a billion euros of jewelry was stolen. Luckily enough, the Dresden Green Diamond was away on loan at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, and was kept safe. 

The Aurora Green Diamond Set in a Ring with Pink Diamonds.

2. The Aurora Green Diamond
   The 5.03 carat Fancy Vivid Green diamond broke many records when it was sold in 2016 at a Christie’s auction. The Aurora Diamond achieved $3.3 million per carat with a selling price of $16.8 million, becoming the most expensive Green Diamond in the world to be sold at auction.

The 25 carat Gruosi Green Diamond.

3. The Gruosi Green
   Although it hasn’t been officially given a name, the second largest polished Green diamond is known as the Gruosi Green after its current owner, jeweler Fawaz Gruosi. The original rough stone weighed nearly 100 carat with over 70% of this weight being sacrificed in favor of achieving a near-flawless green cushion cut diamond of 25 carat.
   
   

Chopard’s Chameleon Diamond.

4. The Chopard Chameleon
   Chameleon diamonds are an exceptional kind of color-changing stone. They are typically grayish yellowish green to grayish greenish yellow under normal conditions. However, when exposed to light or heat, they change their color to an intense brownish or orangey yellow tone. The reason for this amazing phenomenon is still a mystery today.
   
   The Chopard Chameleon is the world’s largest known chameleon diamond. The 31 carat oval cut stone was unveiled to the public at Baselworld 2008.

Fascinating pear-cut Chameleon Diamond 

Green Diamond Jewelry Inspiration

Oval Olive Green Solitaire Engagement Ring

18Kt Yellow Gold Ring with an Olive Green Diamond and a White Diamond Eternity Band.

For this dreamy bridal jewelry set, we created an elegant engagement ring, paired with a delicate, thin eternity band. A warm, oval cut, Olive diamond was the selected stone for this romantic piece.

Lime Green Diamond Necklace with Pink Double Halo

Natural Green Diamond with Pink Diamond Double Halo Necklace

A brilliant Lime diamond is set in warm 18Kt rose gold and surrounded by two rows of shimmering pink diamonds. This exceptional piece combines complementary colors—a creative way of designing with color diamonds.

Fancy Green Diamond Engagement Ring

Lime Green Brilliant Diamond Solitaire Ring with Channel-set Diamonds.

This stunning solitaire features a lime green diamond in a six-prong setting. An 18Kt yellow gold band, embellished with channel-set white diamonds completes this bespoke creation. If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind engagement ring that looks like nothing you’ve seen before, perhaps a Green diamond center stone is the way to go. 

Marquise Green Diamond in Tension Setting Ring

Marquise Cut Green Diamond Engagement Ring.

Another unique Langerman proposal, this incredible ring with a split shank holds a horizontally set lime green marquise cut diamond. It’s always a pleasure to work with our clients and find the perfect natural color diamond for the unique occasions in their lives. 

Contact us to create a custom Green diamond jewel.

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Fall in love with our green diamond selection at Langerman-Diamonds.com