Color

The color of a diamond refers to the body color of the stone.  Diamonds with less body color are more rare in nature and are more valuable than diamonds with more of a tint of body color.  There are also colored diamonds which are referred to as “fancies”.  These diamonds can occur in any & every color.

The diamond color grading scale starts with “D” and runs alphabetically to “Z”.  Diamonds at the “D” end of the color spectrum are completely free of any body color and are more rare and valuable.  Diamonds at the “Z” end have the most tint in body color and are the least valuable.  “Fancies” are the rarest of all and can be very costly.

“Colorless”:  (D-F)
The diamond grades which are considered colorless are D, E, and F.  However, an “F” color stone will pull very minute color if it is examined closely by a color grading machine or by a reputable gem testing lab.  Therefore, the only true colorless grades are D and E.  Diamonds in this category are very rare and are crystal white.  These rare stones are also very pricey, unless there are other diminishing value factors present such as poor clarity or cut.

“Near Colorless”:  (G-J)
Diamonds in this category are the most commonly used in fine jewelry.  In this color range, “G” diamonds are the brightest and have a very minor hint of tint, almost non-existent.  “H” color diamonds are similar to the color of glass, or a deep clear white.  “I” and “J” colored diamonds face up from their top sides extremely white, but from the point side up, when held on a plain white piece of paper, show a faint tint of body color.

“Off White Or Faint Tint”: (K-L)
When mounted in a piece of jewelry, diamonds in this category appear much whiter in body color than they actually are.  You should keep this fact in mind when buying a mounted diamond.  These colors are often misrepresented as “H-J” colors because of their appearance when mounted.  So, if a diamond seems inexpensive for “H-J” color, it more than likely is “K-L”.  “K” color grades look especially white in white gold, platinum or antique jewelry.

“Very Light Tint”: (M-R)
This color category contains the lesser desirable color tints of diamonds, however, they are more common than “K” and “L” grades and even less valuable.  Diamonds in this category will definitely show body color whether they are loose or in a mounting.

“Light Tint To Tinted”: (S-Z)
Though very common in nature, these color grades are not something a person will see often when shopping for jewelry.  This category contains the diamonds least desired for use in fine jewelry, and they should be priced accordingly.

“Fancies” (All vivid colors of the rainbow)
Once you break the alphabetical scale at “Z”, you reach the color scale of “Fancies”.  This scale contains every color imaginable including yellow, pink, blue, orange, red, purple, green, and any combination of the above.  There are two types of fancy colored diamonds available:  natural and irradiated.  “Natural” colors are those diamonds whose color is produced in nature.  These are extremely rare and very pricey.  “Irradiated” diamonds are those whose colors are produced by man in a laboratory.  To achieve the color of these stones, diamonds of the lowest color grades of the alphabetical scale are bombarded with radiation in order to change the existing low color into a more exotic and desirable color.  To the trained eye, irradiated diamonds appear more of a metallic color than those colored in nature.  Irradiated diamonds should be priced as low as diamonds in the lowest color ranges, but with a small percentage markup added to account for the bombardment process.