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 Choosing
Your Diamond Color |
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Acting as a prism, a diamond
can divide light into a spectrum of colors and reflect this
light as colorful flashes called fire. Just as when looking
through colored glass, color in a diamond will act as a filter,
and will diminish the spectrum of color emitted. The less color
in a diamond, the more colorful the fire, and the better the
color grade. |
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D-J
K-Z
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D: Absolutely colorless. The highest color
grade, which is extremely rare.
E: Colorless. Only
minute traces of color can be detected by an expert
gemologist. A rare diamond.
F: Colorless. Slight color detected by an expert
gemologist, but still considered a "colorless" grade.
A high-quality diamond.
G-H: Near colorless. Color noticeable when
compared to diamonds of better grades, but these grades
offer excellent value.
I-J: Near colorless. Color slightly
detectable. An excellent value.
K-M:
Faintly tinted, usually a yellowish cast that may appear
gray or brown.
N-R:
Lightly tinted, yellowish stones. Tint can be seen
with the naked eye but may not be noticeable with careful
settings.
S-Z:
Heavily tinted, usually yellow progressing to brown.
Tint visible even when mounted. |
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The color in
diamonds graded K-Z detracts from the beauty of a
diamond. It's especially noticeable set in platinum or white
gold. Note that there are
fancy-yellow colored diamonds.
These diamonds are graded on a different color scale than white
diamonds. Since the scale above ranges from the best to the
worst quality in a white diamond, the yellow color in
fancy-yellow diamonds cannot be found on this scale.
Florence
Diamonds
Some people seek diamonds that
produce this unique effect, while others definitely avoid it.
The visible effects of
fluorescence
grades of faint, inert, negligible, and medium, can only be
detected by a trained gemologist. A fluorescence grade of strong
or very strong can make a diamond with a near-colorless grade
look even whiter yet in some instances give the diamond a slight
hazy or oily appearance. Diamonds with a strong or very strong
fluorescence are priced slightly lower than other diamonds.
What Color
Grade is Best?
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For the purist,
look for a colorless diamond with a grade of D-F and a
fluorescence rating of faint, inert, none, or negligible.
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Or, if you'd
rather not compromise on color but would like to stay on
budget, choose a diamond with a good cut, SI1–SI2 clarity, and
consider going with a strong fluorescence. It will still be
beautiful to the unaided eye and you may prefer the unique
effect of a strong fluorescence.
The table below compares the
prices of diamonds with the same
clarity grade
(VS1) and
carat weight,
but varying color
grades.
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Colorless
D E F
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Near-Colorless
G H I
J
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Ideal
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$8,000
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$7,600
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$7,200
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$6,800
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$6,000
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$5,200
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$4,300
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Very Good
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$7,500
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$7,200
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$6,900
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$6,200
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$5,600
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$4,700
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$4,200
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Good
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$7,200
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$6,800
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$6,700
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$6,000
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$5,200
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$4,600
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$4,000
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Fair
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$7,000
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$6,700
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$6,600
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$5,200
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$4,700
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$4,200
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$3,700
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~ photo courtesy of
Tonesha Housen
Diamond Education courtesy of Blue Nile
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