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Wikipedia:

Color
A chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond is perfectly transparent with no hue, or color. However, in reality almost no gem-sized natural diamonds are absolutely perfect. The color of a diamond may be affected by chemical impurities and/or structural defects in the crystal lattice. Depending on the hue and intensity of a diamond's coloration, a diamond's color can either detract from or enhance its value. For example, most white diamonds are discounted in price as more yellow hue is detectable, while intense pink or blue diamonds (such as the Hope Diamond) can be dramatically more valuable. The Aurora Diamond Collection displays a spectacular array of naturally colored diamonds, and is a good source of information on the topic of colored diamonds.

Most diamonds used as gemstones are basically transparent with little tint, or white diamonds. The most common impurity, nitrogen, replaces a small proportion of carbon atoms in a diamond's structure and causes a yellowish to brownish tint. This effect is present in almost all white diamonds; in only the rarest diamonds is the coloration due to this effect undetectable. The GIA has developed a rating system for color in white diamonds, from "D" to "Z" (with D being "colorless" and Z having a bright yellow coloration), which has been widely adopted in the industry and is universally recognized, superseding several older systems once used in different countries. The GIA system uses a benchmark set of natural diamonds of known color grade, along with standardized and carefully controlled lighting conditions. Precision-crafted cubic zirconia master sets are sometimes used in the trade, however the GIA has found these sets to be inaccurate.[citation needed] Diamonds with higher color grades are rarer, in higher demand, and therefore more expensive, than lower color grades. Oddly enough, diamonds graded Z are also rare, and the bright yellow color is also highly valued. Diamonds graded D-F are considered "colorless", G-J are considered "near-colorless", K-M are "slightly colored". N-Y usually appear light yellow or brown.

In contrast to yellow or brown hues, diamonds of other colors are more rare and valuable. While even a pale pink or blue hue may increase the value of a diamond, more intense coloration is usually considered more desirable and commands the highest prices. A variety of impurities and structural imperfections cause different colors in diamonds, including yellow, pink, blue, red, green, brown, and other hues. Diamonds with unusual or intense coloration are sometimes labeled "fancy" by the diamond industry. Intense yellow coloration is considered one of the fancy colors, and is separate from the color grades of white diamonds. Gemologists have developed rating systems for fancy colored diamonds, but they are not in common use because of the relative rarity of colored diamonds.

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GreenScreen said:

Don't worry about it. I wasn't bitching or anything, I just went back and read it and it sounded like I was a little, I didn't mean it like that though.

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However maybe people are just infatuated with cosmetics and pretty colors.

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Does this mean that almost all diamonds are not completely made up of solely of Carbon?

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pscyanescens said:

I was talking to a friend of mine and he says that exposure to radiation could have something to do with the color change. However the rock does give not give off radiation he says it shows that it was exposed to it to some degree at some point in time. Is this not true?

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trendal said:

There aren't any naturally occurring gold compounds, as far as I know...

Gold is always found as gold.

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Not really.
Gold is most often found alloyed with minor amounts of other metals.
Mother nature doesn't make 99.999 fine AU



LOL, in another life, I was a mining engineer.
Done both placer & lode gold mining.
Still own placer mining properties in several western states.

LOL, anybody need a placer gold mine?

fireworks_god said:

You've been told wrong. Gold dissolves in mercury.

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agar said:

trendal said:

There aren't any naturally occurring gold compounds, as far as I know...

Gold is always found as gold.

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Not really.
Gold is most often found alloyed with minor amounts of other metals.
Mother nature doesn't make 99.999 fine AU



LOL, in another life, I was a mining engineer.
Done both placer & lode gold mining.
Still own placer mining properties in several western states.

LOL, anybody need a placer gold mine?

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GreenScreen said:

A gold alloy is just a mixture though, it's pure gold mixed in with other metals, it's not chemically bonded though, so the gold is just gold.

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