What Is a Chameleon Diamond?
Under normal conditions, the color of chameleon diamonds is typically grayish yellowish green to grayish greenish yellow. But, when heated up to 150° C (302° Fahrenheit) — or exposed to light after prolonged storage in the dark — a remarkable color change happens. Chameleon diamonds temporarily turn an intense brownish or orangy yellow to yellow color.
Why Does a Chameleon Diamond Change Color?
What makes chameleon diamonds so mysterious is that the reason for their color change is unknown. Since chameleon diamonds change color when exposed to light or heat, there may be more than one mechanism at work causing the phenomena. Additionally, as they are so rare and valuable, researchers have found it difficult to procure samples to study.
Famous Chameleon Stones In 2007, the world's largest Chameleon diamond was purchased by Chopard, a Swiss based luxury watch, jewelry, and accessories company. The diamond's carat weight was an astonishing 31.31 carats.
Another famous piece was the 8.04 carat fancy dark grey-green Chameleon colored diamond. The piece was surrounded by pink diamonds in a pave setting and set in an 18 karat rose gold ring. Due to the size and rarity of this piece, the ring was purchased for $2,100,000.
In May, 2001, a superb fancy dark gray-yellowish green chameleon diamond ring was sold at Christie's Hong Kong auction for approximately $240,000. The stone was a 4.41 carat cut-cornered, triangular-cut stone set on a platinum mount. The image below shows this stunning piece before and after heat was applied to the stone.
Chameleon diamonds are such intriguing stones because of the 'unknown' capabilities that these jewels posses.
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