Diamonds Color Chart Guide : What is Diamond Colour?

Table of Contents

Diamond Color is simply the color of a diamond that it holds. It refers to the “WHITENESS of a diamond or its lack of color. A diamond with no or less color has great value compared to yellow or brown tint. Some hue or color like (natural) pink, blue, red is highly expensive. Chemically pure stone with the perfect structure is colorless and rear. Diamond color may be affected by chemical impurities and defects in the crystal lattice.

Diamond color is also one of the most important elements while choosing a diamond. Deciding a perfect color diamond can help you save a lot of money. That’s why, after the cut, color is the next most important characteristic to consider when choosing a diamond.

Side By Side Diamond Color Comparison

Diamond ColorDiamonds with less color allow more light to pass, resulting in more brilliance and fire. So, the less color within the diamond, the more rare and valuable it is likely to be. A Diamond has a range of different colors. In order to find out which diamonds are of which colors, diamond color-grading scales have been created by the world’s most well-known GIA Lab.

Generally, the Scale ranges from Colorless to Near Colorless, to Faint Yellow, to Very Light Yellow, to Light Yellow. This color grade is given a letter value by the GIA system, ranging from D for perfectly colorless, to Z for highly colored diamonds (some yellow or brown tint). Other Fancy Colors, such as blue, orange, red, green, and more intense yellows and browns, have their own color grading nomenclature. And most of the diamonds are graded on a scale measuring the varying degrees of their lack of color or whiteness.

Now, let’s study each and every color of a diamond with detailed information.

Understanding of Diamond ColorDiamond Color grading scale by GIA

Colorless Diamonds (D-F)

D COLOR DIAMOND
E COLOR DIAMOND
F COLOR DIAMOND
D color DiamondE color DiamondF color Diamond
- Highest color graded
diamond.
- Extremely Rare & Expensive
- Can only be distinguished from D color by expert gemologists.
- Rare and Slightly cheaper
- Least Expensive in premium diamonds.
- Slight color detected by an expert but still a high quality diamond.

Near Colorless Diamonds (G-J)

G COLOR
H COLOR
I COLOR
J COLOR
G color diamondH color diamondI color diamondJ color diamond
– Highest color
graded in this
segment.
– Traces of color
cannot be seen
by Naked Eye.
– Slight traces of
color is visible only
in side-by-side
comparison.
– Offers great value
for a money.
– Color is slightly
seen when
compared to
better grades.
– Offers great value
for a money.
– Gives a hint
of visible color
by naked eye.
– Least expensive
in this category.

Faint Color Diamonds (K-M)

K COLOR DIAMOND
L COLOR DIAMOND
M COLOR DIAMOND
k color diamondL color diamondm color diamond
  • Diamonds in this category shows a Yellow/Brown tint
  • Becomes easier to detect color with naked eye
  • Reasonably priced diamonds.

Very Light Color Diamonds (N-R)

Very Light Color Diamonds (N-R)

  • Diamonds graded between N-R shows a Yellow or Brown tint.
  • Can be easily visible with the naked eyes.
  • Their Noticeable color makes these diamonds much more affordable.

Light Colored Diamonds (S-Z)

  • Diamonds graded between S-Z have an obvious visible color.
  • It has clear yellow or brown tones.
  • These diamonds are least offered by the companies.

Therefore, this clearly says that the more colorless a diamond is, the higher it is graded on the scale.
And, In terms of pricing, diamonds with a higher grade will be more costly, while diamonds rating lower on the scale, thus having more color, will normally prove to be less costly. So, choosing the appropriate color of a diamond can be the biggest factor to save the cost.

Video: Diamond Color Scale By GIA

( 40 sec only)

[youtube id=”VvBmTR4-Nsg” width=”600″ height=”340″ position=”center”]

Fancy Colored Diamonds

fancy-color-diamondsFancy Colored diamonds are graded on a completely different scale. There is a distinct difference visually between a “yellow” diamond in the S-Z range and a yellow diamond that is considered a ‘Fancy’ color. GIA has also developed a specific set of parameters to find out one from another. Fancy Color of a diamond is also based on different intensity.
For example of a Pink color – It can be Light Pink, Fancy Pink, Intense Pink, Deep Pink, and Vivid Pink.

Got question? comment below, we would really happy to answer all your questions. Share this post if your find it useful. Help your friends saving money, share now and become smart diamond shopper.

Thanks, Good Day.

Heer Shah

Heer Shah

Heer Shah is currently studying business management from Mumbai university. Beside managing his curly hair, Heer loves to share his views on gems and jewellery. Being diamond trading as his family business, Heer always talks diamonds

3 thoughts on “Diamonds Color Chart Guide : What is Diamond Colour?”

  1. Hello

    I am looking at a stone and the seller said there is a manufacturer note stating “very light brown tinge.” If they didn’t say anything I never would have known.

    It’s not listed on the GIA report and the diamond is a G color. Will this be of concern if everything else checks out. Will it still likely appear like a normal G color (virtually colorless)?

    Thank you.

    Reply
  2. Hi Ryan,

    That’s really an interesting question.

    So, “Brown tinge” in “G” color is generally not visible for untrained eyes. Its near to colorless. Also, once It is fixed in the ring, It really hard to tell whether it has the brown tinge or not.

    Guess what? Here is a catch, You can (should) confidently ask for more discount on such stones.

    Note: I am talking about the GIA certified stone with None or Faint fluorescence.
    I have mention specific fluorescence here because it sometimes affects the diamond’s colour.

    If you need any other information or help, don’t hesitate to write me or comment below.

    Good Day
    Harsh Shah

    Reply

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