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Diamond Color
Most diamonds are graded by their lack of color, with the exception of fancy colors such as pink diamonds. Diamonds range from colorless to light yellowish-brown. The whiter the diamond, the more rare and valuable it becomes. Diamonds are graded in special light conditions (i.e. a diamond grading lamp), and are compared to a set of master stones. Gem labs carefully sort diamonds to create a set of master stones ranging in saturations from colorless (D) to light yellowish-brown (Z).
Using the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) color grading scale, a diamond is graded as follows: D representing the most pure white and colorless, and Z representing the most yellowish-brown color. This diagram is an illustration of the grading scale, and is not necessarily indicative of true diamond colors.
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In Novermber of 1995, at Sotheby's, Geneva, a Cartier ring containing a 7.37-ct. Fancy Intense purpleish pink diamond sold for an amazing $6,011,894.00 US. That's about $815,725.00 US per carat.
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D E F | G H I J | K L M N | O P
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Colorless | Near Colorless | Faint Yellow | Light Yellow
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We recommend going no lower than near colorless, as the yellowish-brownish tint may become quite noticeable. The difference between each color grade is very slight. Yet we find that the average person choosing a diamond for an engagement ring chooses between F and G color. Choosing the color is really about striking a balance of the 4 C's. It is possible to still have a very nice diamond which is a I color and larger than a smaller diamond which is a F color for the same price. It comes down to a matter of preference.
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Below is an illustration of how the color affects the cost of a diamond with the clarity, cut, and carat weight being equal.
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| You can see that the different in value can vary up to 226% from a D color to a L color or between 5-17% between each color grade. For this reason, one color grade may be decreased one size in order to get the desired larger carat weight with the same clarity and cut grade.
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Tutorial Step 3
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