Among the fancy colored diamonds, there is a hue full of mystery: fancy gray. These stones come in a wide range of intensities and combinations to please all tastes and styles.

At least one fancy gray has been found in most diamond-producing mines, but its main sources are in India, Russia, Brazil, South Africa, and Australia.

Grays are not the most cheerful and striking of the fancy family, but despite that, they are still captivating and beautiful. Besides, this stone is not among the most expensive colors, so you can opt for a gray if you want something unique within a lower budget.

Its color is due to the high concentrations of hydrogen and sometimes boron within its crystalline lattice.

In their lighter versions, the grays give the impression of being colorless diamonds, showing a considerable reflection of light. That is why it’s common to find this fancy in round shapes. It can be the star in an engagement ring, giving it originality with an interesting metallic shine that will undoubtedly steal glances.

500 Shades of Gray

It is known that the human eye can distinguish up to 500 different shades and intensities of gray. This should be roughly the number of different Fancy Grays available to choose from.

The GIA rated them with the following tones and intensities: Faint Gray, Very Light Gray, Light Gray, Fancy Light Gray, Fancy Gray and Fancy Dark Grey.

In their lighter versions they appear to be colorless and in the darker versions to be translucent black.

Secondary Colors

The most common colors present in gray diamonds as primary hue modifiers are: Yellow, Yellowish, Greenish, Bluish, and Violet.

Although gray diamonds are not the most valued, combinations with blue and violet can reach relatively high prices.

The color gray is common as a secondary color in almost all fancy diamonds.

The Sultan of Morocco

Its primary color is blue but the beauty that gray adds to this stunning gem cannot fail to stand out. The Sultan of Morocco is a 35.27 carats Fancy Greyish Blue considered the fourth largest diamond in the world.

Both its history and some gemological data on this stone are unknown. The name leads us to believe that it has some link with the Sultan of Morocco, but there is no concrete evidence of this so far.

Its origin is also a mystery. Experts predict that because it is a diamond from the mid-19th century, it has probably been found in mines in India.

It belonged to the Yusupov family of the Russian nobility for 82 years, until it was sold to Cartier in New York.

Later, in the mid-1970s, it was sold to a private collector for $ 250,000. Since then, the whereabouts of this impressive diamond is unknown.

Gray Engagements

Every day the interest in owning a unique jewel that reflects the personality and originality of the couple grows more and more. An engagement ring with a gray diamond can certainly give that result.

The combinations are such that it can be a subtle and almost imperceptible touch or a statement piece with a stone in olive-gray or bluish colors.