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Answer:
Mr. Alan
Bronstein, who is
a diamond expert at
Aurora Gems,
Inc., kindly answered the question above.
Color in diamonds is a function of absorption and reflection of light.
When a diamond appears colorless, white light or daylight ( all the colors of the spectrum combined)
enter the diamond and are all absorbed so no color is reflected back to the eye.
When a diamond appears to have color, white light entering the stone is absorbed except for the color
that appears to the eye.
This phenomena is caused by one of three reasons:
-
Another element other than carbon (diamonds are pure carbon) was caught in the atomic structure
while the diamond was being formed which changes the absorption spectrum.
Thus, yellow and orange diamonds contain nitrogen.
Blue diamonds contain boron.
Gray, violet and some green diamonds contain hydrogen.
-
Green diamonds are also caused by natural radiation which over millions of years alters the
atomic structure of the diamond thus changing the absorption spectrum to give it a green appearance.
Natural Green diamonds are not radioactive.
-
Pink,
purple, red and brown diamonds are caused by Plastic Deformation; a twisting of the atomic
structure of the carbon atoms during the formation of the diamond in the earth which alters the
absorption spectrum of the stone. It appears in the stones as grain lines similar to grain in wood.
It does not alter the nature of the diamond only its color.
Reference
Collecting and Classifying Coloured Diamonds: An Illustrated Study of the Aurora Collection 
Forever Brilliant : The Aurora Collection of Colored Diamonds
Acknowledgement
We would like to thank Mr. Alan Bronstein for his kind answer. Please look at the
Aurora Gems, Inc.
website for further information.
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