While most people are aware of the quality parameters of a diamond including the 4Cs, they may not be aware of the fact that there are different types of diamonds. Diamond Type is a scientific way of classifying diamonds based on the purity of the carbon present in them.
Diamonds are usually categorized into type I and type II. These two classifications are further broken down into type Ia, type Ib, type IIa, and type IIb. These categories slightly vary in terms of their properties.
The natural diamonds you see in jewelry are type Ia diamonds. Type IIa natural diamonds are significantly rare and they have great value and a huge price. Therefore, we list some of the important things you want to know about these diamond types:
Type Ia Diamonds
Most natural diamonds are type Ia diamonds. They usually come with impurities like nitrogen. The concentration of nitrogen can be about 0.3% in these diamonds. The nitrogen impurities in type Ia diamonds can be clustered and widespread. About 95% of all natural diamonds come under this category.
Type Ib diamonds contribute to only 0.1% of all natural diamonds. The nitrogen impurities in these stones are very minor which is limited to 0.05%.
The difference in the amounts of nitrogen of type Ia and type Ib diamonds result in slight differences in their light absorption spectrum.
Type IIa Diamonds
Type IIa diamonds are extremely rare and there is only 1-2% of such diamonds among all natural diamonds. Type IIa diamonds do not contain any measurable amounts of nitrogen impurities. They are comprised of pure carbon atoms. Hence, these stones won’t have any visible inclusions or color. Most type IIa diamonds are colorless and come with great quality when compared to type Ia diamonds. These stones are unbelievably costly and rare, hence, natural type IIa diamonds are usually reserved for royalty or celebrities.
Type IIb diamonds are even rarer than type IIa diamonds and they make up only 0.1% of all natural diamonds. In addition to significantly low levels of nitrogen impurities like type IIa diamonds, type IIb diamonds also come with certain amounts of boron that lend them a blue or grey color.
Can You Get Type IIa Diamonds?
Natural type IIa diamonds can be very costly and they are not affordable for common people. But now it is possible for everyone to get these special diamonds because of the invention of lab grown diamonds. Diamonds grown inside a laboratory will have only negligible amounts of nitrogen impurities and they come with high quality.
Additionally, these diamonds are less costly than type Ia natural diamonds. Therefore, by choosing lab-grown diamonds for your diamond rings, you can get brilliant and high-quality stones for more affordable rates.