Coloured Diamond vs Coloured Gemstone: What's the Difference?
TL;DR: A coloured (fancy colour) diamond is still a diamond — pure carbon with a rare trace element or structural anomaly causing its colour. A coloured gemstone is an entirely different mineral. Fancy colour diamonds are typically far rarer and more expensive than an equivalent-sized coloured gemstone of the same hue.
What Makes a Diamond "Fancy Colour"
A fancy colour diamond is chemically still diamond — pure crystallised carbon — but contains a trace element (nitrogen for yellow, boron for blue) or a structural distortion (causing pink and red) that alters how it absorbs and reflects light, producing visible colour. This is fundamentally different from a coloured gemstone, which is an entirely different mineral with its own distinct chemistry.
What Makes a Coloured Gemstone
Sapphire, ruby, emerald, and every other coloured gemstone are separate minerals — corundum, beryl, and so on — with colour built into their fundamental chemical composition, not diamond with an added trace element. See our guides on sapphire and emerald durability for how these compare practically to diamond.
Why Fancy Colour Diamonds Cost So Much More
Fancy colour diamonds are extraordinarily rare — the specific combination of trace elements or structural conditions needed to produce visible colour occurs in only a small fraction of mined diamonds, and vivid, evenly saturated colour is rarer still. This rarity, combined with diamond's already-established position as the benchmark gemstone, means a fine fancy colour diamond routinely costs many times more than a coloured gemstone of similar visual impact and size.
Visual and Practical Differences
Both fancy colour diamonds and coloured gemstones offer genuine colour outside the traditional white diamond palette. Diamond retains its exceptional hardness (10 on the Mohs scale) regardless of colour, making fancy colour diamonds the more durable choice for daily wear compared to many coloured gemstones, some of which sit considerably lower on the hardness scale.
Which Should You Choose?
If maximum durability and diamond's specific brilliance matter alongside colour, a fancy colour diamond delivers both, at a significant cost premium. If a specific gemstone's colour and character — emerald's rich green, sapphire's velvet blue — matter more than diamond specifically, a coloured gemstone offers more colour and size for the same budget.
At À Vie Diamonds
We source both fancy colour diamonds and coloured gemstones. Get in touch to discuss which fits your brief and budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a coloured diamond the same as a coloured gemstone? No — a coloured diamond is still diamond (pure carbon) with a trace element or structural cause of colour. A coloured gemstone is an entirely different mineral.
Why are fancy colour diamonds so expensive? Extreme rarity — the conditions needed to produce visible, evenly saturated colour in diamond occur in only a small fraction of mined stones.
Last reviewed: July 2026 · À Vie Diamonds