White diamonds are ever popular due to their shine and brilliance, with the most breathtaking of white diamonds being the vivid white diamond - which has a sparkle to match no other. Benma Diamonds are the specialists in the market for the most rare and valuable white diamonds - and able to provide our elite customer base with some of the largest and most brilliant gemstones in the world. Our gemstones are handpicked to ensure they have the highest grades of cut, clarity, carat and color, and are fully tested and accompanied by a GIA certificate to ensure authenticity.
White colored or colorless diamonds are the most traditional and ever popular color, with a versatility which ensures that they can be incorporated into a wide variety of jewelry. White diamonds have long been associated with wedding and engagement rings, and look fabulous within gold and platinum settings. The popularity of white diamonds soared after a marketing campaign run by De Beers which coined the phrase 'A diamond is forever' in 1947. Since then diamonds have been seen as a symbol of love, a fate sealed by the introduction, later, of the diamond eternity ring.
The white diamond is graded on color from completely colorless to yellow brown. The most valuable diamonds are rated colorless - grade D, E and F. Next are the near colorless diamonds which are still highly sought after - these have a rating of G to J, which are close to colorless, only having a faint tint of yellow. Then there are the lightly tinted yellow diamonds in the K, L and M category. At the bottom of the scale are the dark yellow diamonds, which are the least expensive and desirable.
The difference between a white diamond and a fancy colored diamond is down to impurities. Colored diamonds contain impurities which cause their coloration, while pure or nearly pure white diamonds have no impurities and are transparent and colorless. The reason lower grade white diamonds have a yellow tinge is due to the presence of nitrogen in either small (slight yellow hue) or larger (noticeable yellow or brown hue) amounts.
Some of the most famous white diamonds in existence include the Regent diamond, discovered in 1701 in mines on the Kistna River. The Porter Rhodes diamond is another notable colorless diamond claimed in the 19th century by Mr. Porter-Rhodes in the Kimberly Mine. The Jubilee diamond is a white, cushion shaped gemstone, discovered in the Jagersfontein Mine, and in 1968 Elizabeth Taylor famously became the owner of the Krupp diamond, a 33.19 caraat Asscher cut white diamond which then became known as the Taylor-Burton diamond. Elizabeth Taylor later sold the diamond, after her divorce from Richard Burton for $5,000,000.