Most diamond buying advice is about getting as close to colorless as possible. Fancy color diamonds flip that entirely, color is the point, and the more saturated and unusual the hue, the more prized the stone. Here's what "fancy color" actually means and how it applies to lab-grown diamonds specifically.
The short answer
Fancy color refers to diamonds graded outside the standard colorless-to-light-yellow (D-to-Z) scale used for white diamonds. Vivid yellows, pinks, blues, and other saturated hues are graded on their own intensity scale instead, where more color is more valuable, the opposite of how white diamonds are graded. Lab-grown fancy color diamonds develop their hue during the growth process itself, and cost a fraction of natural fancy color stones, which are among the rarest gems in the world.
Why fancy color is graded differently
The standard D-to-Z scale exists to measure how close a diamond is to colorless, so Z (light yellow or brown) is the "worst" grade on that scale. Once a diamond's color is saturated enough to fall outside that range, it's no longer measured by how little color it has, it's graded by hue, tone, and saturation instead, on a scale where Faint, Light, and Fancy Light give way to Fancy, Fancy Intense, and Fancy Vivid at the most saturated end. A Fancy Vivid yellow or pink is prized specifically for how much color it shows, not despite it.
How lab-grown diamonds get their color
Color in a lab-grown diamond develops during the growth process itself, not as a coating or surface treatment applied afterward. Trace elements introduced during growth determine the hue: nitrogen produces yellow tones, while other trace elements and growth conditions produce other colors. This is the same underlying mechanism responsible for color in many natural fancy diamonds, which also develop color from trace elements and structural characteristics present during their formation.
Natural fancy color diamonds: genuinely rare
Natural fancy color diamonds are dramatically rarer than natural colorless diamonds, only a small fraction of mined diamonds show fancy color at all, and vivid, evenly saturated hues are rarer still. That scarcity is why natural fancy color diamonds, particularly in blue, pink, and red, are consistently among the highest per-carat prices of any gemstone at auction.
Why lab-grown fancy color costs so much less
Lab-grown fancy color diamonds share the natural stone's chemistry, hardness, and optical properties, but without the extreme scarcity driving natural fancy color pricing. That makes a genuinely rare-looking stone, a saturated yellow or pink diamond of meaningful size, accessible at a small fraction of what an equivalent natural fancy color diamond would cost.
Certification
Fancy color diamonds are independently certified the same way colorless diamonds are, with the certificate specifying hue, tone, and saturation grade in addition to cut, clarity, and carat. That grading is what confirms a stone's color is a genuine, stable characteristic of the diamond itself rather than a coating or unstable treatment.
Frequently asked questions
Is a fancy color diamond a different material from a regular diamond?
No. It's the same pure carbon crystal structure as any diamond. The only difference is trace elements and growth conditions that produce visible color instead of a colorless result.
Are lab-grown fancy color diamonds color-treated after growth?
No. Their color develops during the growth process itself, the same way many natural fancy color diamonds develop color from trace elements present during formation, rather than through a post-growth coating or treatment.
Why are natural pink and blue diamonds so expensive?
Extreme rarity. Only a tiny fraction of natural diamonds show any fancy color at all, and vivid, evenly saturated pink or blue stones are rarer still, which drives natural fancy color pricing far above colorless diamonds of the same carat weight.
Can a fancy color diamond be set in a custom ring?
Yes. Every stone in our fancy color collection can be paired with a custom setting, choosing the metal, style, and design built around that specific stone.
See the collection
Browse our Fancy Color Lab-Grown Diamonds, from light and intense yellows to vivid pinks, or start a custom piece through our custom design service.