Why Are White Diamonds So Expensive? - Big Questions (Ep. 10)

Hi, I'm Craig. My large forehead sparkles like a diamond, and this is Mental Floss on YouTube

Today I'm going to answer Butterwitz big question. Why are white diamonds so expensive

Well, Mr. Butterwit, a few things determine a diamond's quality, therefore its price

These are what the diamond experts refer to as the four C's, color cut, clarity, and carrot

There's a fifth optional, which is Craig. You asked specifically about color, but I'm going to tell you a little bit about all of them because all four affect a diamond's cost

Let's get started. Okay, listen up, fellas. I just proposed to my girlfriend and buying the ring was the hardest part

This is important. A diamond's cut refers to how symmetrical and well-polished the diamond is

This is important because it determines how light reflects off of the diamond. Unlike the other seas, diamond cut doesn't have a standardized grading scale

Some of the most popular ones are the round cut, oval cut, princess cut, Mario Luigi, and Toad. Currently, round-cut diamonds are more pricey because they're popular and more expensive to make

So if you choose a white diamond in a different cut, it will be less expensive. expensive

A diamond's clarity determines if it has blemishes, cloudiness, cracks, and so on

This is the diamond's clarity scale. If the diamond has scales on it you got that diamond from a dragon and I salute you brave sir or madam Ideally the diamond is flawless if you can see any of that stuff under 10 times the magnification The higher the clarity the more rare and expensive it is Moving on to carrot

which describes a diamond's mass. One carrot equals 200 milligrams. A diamond with a higher

carrot is more expensive. Are you starting to see a pattern here? As for color, it has a scale

as well. A white diamond is known as colorless, which is ideal on that scale. Why? Well, let me throw

a fifth C at you. Carbon. I threw Craig at you earlier, but that's not real. Diamonds are

completely made up of carbon. A white diamond is pure carbon, which means it has no impurities

and then that means it's more expensive. Most of the diamonds that are found fall lower on the

color scale with a yellow or brown tint to them. This is nitrogen, and even a small amount of it

can change the color, making the diamond impure. Once you go beyond Z on that scale, you reach

what is known as, now I know, ABCs. No, fancy colored diamonds. As you probably know, some of the

most expensive diamonds in the world are pink, red, and blue. The dark blue hope diamond is worth

over $200 million. That's simply because these diamond colors are more rare and more

expensive. Thanks for watching Mental Floss on YouTube, made with the help of these lovely diamonds

If you have a question of your own that you would like answered, such as, will you marry me, leave it in the comments below. The answer to that one is no. I'm already getting married. Sorry

About that. See you next week