Bleached Diamond

[Twister 99]

How does the colour of a diamond change during the bleaching process? Is not the colour dispersed throughout the diamond?

Might anyone care to detail the process?

[Yosef]

I'll try to answer your question....

Bleaching is from what I understand a treatment that is permanent but does not permeate the entire diamond with uniformity. And even if it did, it will certainly be detectable.

I don't really know too much of the process so I'm sorry I can't be more specific.

[Twister 99]

I'm curious to know more about the process. I had not heard of it until I read it on the "Diamond Enhancements" section of the left hand navigation bar.

"Bleaching: The use of chemicals or other agents to lighten or remove a gemstone's color to achieve a brighter/whiter diamond."

I'd like to see what one of these diamonds looks like. If it is just a bleaching done on the surface, it would be interesting to observe the properties of the stone otherwise. Surely a bleaching would not interfere with the diamond's reflective properties.

Perhaps that begs of another question then: Does the colour of a diamond change the way in which light travels through the stone?

[Yosef]

I've seen fracture filled, irradiated, HPHT, but never bleached diamonds so I'm really unsure to be honest.

There's no reason to buy any treated diamonds any how.

#1 The treatments are easily detectable.
#2 The resale value is next to none.
#3 With the money you'd still spend you could get something much better.

For example, just get a smaller natural diamond, or if budget is a problem get an off color L, M, N, O etc stone and save a lot of money. Or you can even buy a synthetic diamond or another gemstone like sapphire, etc. I would not buy a treated diamond at all.

[Ricardo]

It doesn't sound like a desirable process, based on the above information.

I wonder if it's most effective on smaller diamonds, as in clusters?

[ken7700]

My question does it fade over time or does it stay throughout the life of the diamond. You would think that it would fade after time. Does anyone know?

[Yosef]

Bleaching is a permanent treatment.

[amol1980]

In order to increase the colorlessness of slightly colored diamonds, the process of color bleaching has been widely used. This method involves recreating high pressure and high temperature environments, in which diamonds were initially formed inside the earth. Treating diamonds with this technique can cause the color to improve by several grades.

These treatments are permanent in nature. But it is hard to detect color bleached diamonds. Many sellers even sell color bleached diamonds for the price of natural ones.

[Mervyn L. Cohn ASA]

In order to increase the colorlessness of slightly colored diamonds, the process of color bleaching has been widely used. This method involves recreating high pressure and high temperature environments, in which diamonds were initially formed inside the earth. Treating diamonds with this technique can cause the color to improve by several grades.

These treatments are permanent in nature. But it is hard to detect color bleached diamonds. Many sellers even sell color bleached diamonds for the price of natural ones.

There is no reason to believe that an HTHP diamond will ever change color, but I've read recently that there could be vulnerability to cracking or fracture since the lattice could be stressed. The color lightening is the result of atoms of impurities Fe or Cr in the lattice of the Carbon molecule being replaced

HTHP = High Temperature, High Pressure

[GroomDude]

Bleaching is a permanent treatment.

is bleaching diamonds common though?