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Chameleon Diamond: What Is It?
In Nature, Chameleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are large lizards that belong to one of the best known lizard families. They are famous for their ability to change their colour, and also because of their elongated tongue and their eyes which can be moved independently of each other. Their eyes are the most unique among the reptiles. Among other things they can rotate and focus separately to observe two different objects simultaneously.
Chameleon
Some Chameleon species are able to change their body colour, which has made them one of the most famous lizard families. Contrary to popular belief, this change of colour is not only an adaptation to the surroundings but also an expression of the physical and physiological condition of the lizard. The skin colour is changed under influence of mood, light and temperature. The skin colour also plays an important part in communication and rivalry fights.
There is also such a phenomenon as a Chameleon Diamond. Certain natural green diamonds react to heat or dark storage by temporarily changing color, often becoming bright yellow. This color change is short-lived as the diamond soon reverts to its stable color. Most specimens observed in gem laboratories show even color distribution, aiding in the dramatic transformation, and both color changes are documented on laboratory reports. Faceted chameleon diamonds of 2 carats or more occasionally appear on the market; the more sizable stones offer the maximum opportunity to see color change.
A color-change diamond is such a rare and curious gem that very little has been written on the subject. The first documented report on chameleon diamonds appeared in 1943, according to the GIA Diamond Dictionary. Peter Kaplan, of the Peter K. Kaplan Inc., was astonished to witness a diamond change color on the very hot polishing wheel. The peculiar diamond was later graded light yellow green. It sold, but the baffled customer promptly returned it for a refund when the yellow-green diamond changed to dark green after storage in a jewel box.
Phenomenon Not Well Understood.
An article in GIA's Award Winning Journal, Gems & Gemology, Spring 2005, acknowledged that “...the mechanism behind chameleon coloration is not yet well understood. Nevertheless, chameleons are among the few green diamonds that can be conclusively identified as natural color, since their behavior cannot be created or enhanced in a laboratory.”
Fine-quality phenomenal diamonds often carry certificates verifying their natural characteristics. One such report by Gübelin Gem Lab, Lucerne, Switzerland, added, “Chameleon diamonds are one of the great mysteries of the diamond world. It is still not known why these diamonds change from deep green to yellow when heated or left in darkness . . . these qualities make ‘chameleons’ among the most fascinating of colored diamonds.”
A rare subset of natural fancy color diamonds, chameleons are so named for their repeatable color-change property. Prolonged dark storage, or photochroism, changes a “Classic” chameleon from its typically stable color of grayish-yellow-green to a temporary or unstable color of greenish-orangish-yellow. A few hours of dark storage might be all that is needed to bring on a color change. Also, heating a Classic chameleon, termed thermochromism, likewise results in a prominent temporary color change. At about 150º C, the induced color should be evident within a few seconds. The term “Reverse” chameleon refers to phenomenal diamonds that change from yellow in stable conditions to green after subjection to dark storage. Heating does not produce a color change in Reverse chameleons. With both groups, the change is infinitely repeatable.
Rarer still are some “maverick” color-change diamonds that have been found in Australia that exhibit this phenomenon with their own unique pair of colors. Australia’s Argyle diamond mine, famous for its fancy color diamonds, occasionally produces hydrogen-rich diamonds that also exhibit a “chameleonlike” color-change behavior. The stones are distinguished by either a blue-violet-gray color or a gray-olive color. They are thought to owe their phenomenon to high hydrogen content, but this has yet to be proven.
Identification of Chameleon Diamonds is by heating and observation. Be careful with this because heating an enhanced diamond, however, might lead to an unwanted permanent modification of color. If you suspect that the green diamond might just be an enhanced stone, the recommended course of action would be to send it to a laboratory for testing. In a laboratory, the spectroscope reading, coupled with an ultraviolet (UV) radiation reaction, will positively separate a chameleon from another type of green diamond.
Rarity.
Because of their rarity Chamelon Diamonds are not well understood by the Public or by Jewelers. Chrisities, or example, auctions a color-change diamonds in Hong Kong, because, according to Daphne Lingon, senior vice president, jewelry department, the Asian market is well-informed about phenomenal gems,which are avidly collected. During Christie’s Magnificent Jewellery & Jadeite Jewellery Hong Kong auction in May 2001, a platinum ring featuring a 4.41-carat “superb fancy dark-gray-yellowish-green chameleon diamond” went on sale and brought a sale price of $240,000.
Online jeweler Ariel Friedman of IceStore Inc., Beverly Hills, California, speculates that a combination of phosphorescence and fluorescent properties contribute to the chameleon effect in these special diamonds. Friedman estimates that he sells between five and ten chameleons a year, attributing that success to his customers, who only buy high-end goods. Recently, one of his best phenomenal diamonds went to a well-known actor who desired a one-of-a-kind gem. Friedman’s clientele understands fancy color diamonds and that “with chameleons, they own something clearly unique among the fancy colors.” A 2.95-carat, round brilliant chameleon is offered on his website for $63,720.
Comments
who has a chameleon diamond call me...614-483-0801
Posted by: moshe kaplan on November 7, 2006 2:00 PM
I m a diamond expert,I had never heart phenomenal diamond like Chameleon diamond.I m thinking ,chemical atomic distortion caused that...
Posted by: stare canozturk on July 13, 2007 5:46 PM
I may have a Chameleon diamond in my engagement ring. I just recently got engaged and inquired with the jeweler why my diamond changes colour When we had it made it was pale yellow and now on any given light it changes from pale greenish colouring to darker and if heat or direct sunlight is on the diamond it may reflect yellowish green... How do I know?
Posted by: Heather Giovannoni on July 29, 2007 11:15 PM
Hello.. I have a ring that was passed on to me and was given as a peridot. Or so everyone thought so. This stone does some strange things. It goes from a very pale yellow to a incredibly bright light green. The closest I can describe would be a green apple green. The cut and size would be round brilliant and approx. 8 carats It measures about 13mm across. I think that it was bought some time in the sixties in Greece and the man who bought it was well to do. I have brought it into jewelery stores and they can't say what it is but are very impressed with the cut.They do hint toward diamond. Is there other stones that do this color change?
Thank you for your time
Liane
Posted by: Liane fadrny on September 25, 2007 1:18 PM
You should check it out at GIA
Posted by: Anonymous on October 30, 2007 6:12 PM
Hello I have a stone that looks like a very clear white diamond in doors and apple green when you take it outside?? I took it into ajeweler who thought it might be a green diamond but it did not respond to the heat indicator the way a diamond would. Then he thought it might be an aquamarine or a CZ. Any thoughts? I have never heard of a stone other than a chamelion that would behave this way it is set in an old looking setting 10k and it has kimberly inside the band.
Posted by: JK on November 25, 2007 11:34 PM
Chameleon diamonds can also change from an orange-red to a lime green. These stones are very rare and called "reverse-color-change" chameleon diamonds.
I own one myself, you can view it at:
http://www.squidoo.com/fancycolordiamonds
Take care.
Jameson
Posted by: jameson on December 21, 2007 5:21 PM
Hello, I have a brilliant cut diamond E/SI2 that has always looked quite white. Recently it has taken on a pink hue, and is very pink in the centre. Can you tell me why? Thankyou.
Posted by: RR on January 19, 2008 12:33 AM
Hi i have a diamond that seems to be changing
color it only changes color when you go in or out side of a places where the lighting seems to be flouresent lighting or natural lighting and it changes also seems to be changing at different tempertures not to extrime in tempertures But i am not sure. but it changes color. what i mean is the color changes from lavender pink to a blue. And in the dark when left for a few hours or more i will use a flash light on it in the dark of course and the color seems to be like a grey colorish ? Does that make any sence at all ...
Sincerely
Frank Abboud.
Posted by: Frank Abboud on September 2, 2008 2:51 PM
Hi i have a diamond that seems to be changing
color it only changes color when you go in or out side of a places where the lighting seems to be flouresent lighting or natural lighting and it changes also seems to be changing at different tempertures not to extrime in tempertures But i am not sure. but it changes color. what i mean is the color changes from lavender pink to a blue. And in the dark when left for a few hours or more i will use a flash light on it in the dark of course and the color seems to be like a grey colorish ? Does that make any sence at all ...
Sincerely
Frank Abboud.
Posted by: Frank Abboud on September 2, 2008 2:52 PM
Hi i also have a diamond that seems to be changing
color like frank posted on sept.2nd. it only changes color when you go in or out side of a places where the lighting seems to be flouresent lighting or natural lighting and it changes also seems to be changing at different tempertures not to extrime in tempertures But i am not sure. but it changes color. what i mean is the color changes from lavender pink to a blue. And in the dark when left for a few hours or more i will use a flash light on it in the dark of course and the color seems to be like a grey colorish ? what do i have?
Posted by: heather on January 21, 2009 11:19 PM
Hello.. I have a ring that was passed on to me and was given as a peridot. Or so everyone thought so. This stone does some strange things. It goes from a very pale yellow to a incredibly bright light green. The closest I can describe would be a green apple green. The cut and size would be round brilliant and approx. 8 carats It measures about 13mm across. I think that it was bought some time in the sixties in Greece and the man who bought it was well to do. I have brought it into jewelery stores and they can't say what it is but are very impressed with the cut.They do hint toward diamond. Is there other stones that do this color change?
Thank you for your time
Liane >
It can be also color change garnet.. Because it came from Greece, other option is Diaspor, stone from Turkey.
Posted by: Mark on August 14, 2009 7:57 AM
Hello Frank (Abboud) & Heather. First off, Do Not let anyone talk you out of these diamonds. And yes, they are diamonds; tremendous rarities from the Argyle mine. If your two gems are like mine they will not test as a diamond using standard diamond tester, and that 'grayish' color sheen you both mention is the key... I think. Get them to the closest GIA lab for proper testing. Don't bother taking them to your local jeweler or gemmologist as they will not have a clue ---> they could 'lose' it too, so be careful. Then you should thank G_d, literally, for funding your retirement or whatever, and put them into a bank vault until you understand how to insure and market them.
Sounds like you each are describing (type IIa) diamonds that fluoresce in daylight. What I think some of these maverick diamonds are doing is re-emitting the UV light absorbed from normal sunlight and re-emitting that light as visible light [back out of the diamond]. Also they don't seem to require big temperature changes either (like regular chameleon diamonds do).
A diamond low on nitrogen and high on hydrogen should produce a diamond capable of color-change across nearly colorless pale fancies and grey/blue/violet to pinkish blues (or peachy pink). But how they do this, in spite of the fact that [mine] will fluores vidid Yellow when exposed to a white LED light (and turns pale straw yellow when left in dark) I have no idea; from what I've read this is the opposite of what I should expect (should lose [more] visible light from the yellow fluoresce, but instead we gain light). However I do occasionally see green in mine, so maybe that indicates radiation, which 'might' make sense in light of the fabulous color-changing abilities of these gems. All I know is it is way beyond me, or anyone else I could find these previous 5+ years either. I just found bits and pieces and have been stringing it all together, more or less... But the GIA, and other diamond testing labs, now know these are out there so let them know your thoughts when you send them in for testing (send them insured, likely up to four or six figures per carat). Anyway, hope this helps you some, and good luck and have fun! For further research use Google and copy each individual sentence below, hit enter and see what Google comes up with for you:
greyish purple Argyle chameleon change diamonds
2.15 Dom Pedro diamond phosphorescent
diamond "fluoresces in daylight" "not in incandescent"
maverick color-change diamonds
Diamond Types Ia Ib IIa IIb
Diamond not conductive blue gray
Blessings,
J. Alex
Posted by: Alex on November 8, 2009 2:52 PM
one stone that is never considered - this is for liane - esp. because of the size and the colour - is chrysoberyl. most chrysoberyls on the market appear to be somewhat brownish and muddy so i am wondering whether ours are from an exhausted mine.
these chrysoberyls are almost a faint greenish golden colour until the bright light hits it just so, at which time they become a bright granny smith apple green - some people even think the green is garish, like lime green.
i have a ring set with a large stone which exhibits this phenomenon. a friend of mine, a graduate gemmologist and antiques dealer for 60 years, had a ring from the 20s with a flatter cut which had a similar intensity of colour so it seems to be at least somewhat independent of depth, which usually concentrates coloured stones. it was the only cchrysoberyl he had had in half a century.
most of the time (which is not often as these are fairly uncommon) the stones are sold as peridots.
they also are blindingly lively even with far fewer facets than the average diamond. but they are not diamonds; i was at a very expensive wine bar with my husband (who gave me the ring) and noticed people looking at my hand; while i was in the powder room one of the women came in and asked to see my diamond. she did not believe me when i said it was a chrysoberyl, i think she thought i had made up the name.
Posted by: bluemlein on June 16, 2010 6:15 PM