Diamond Colour

Are you curious about diamond colours and how diamond colour grading works?

When buying diamond rings, most people choose colourless diamonds. The reason is colourless or white diamonds are rare, and they stand out like a glass of purified water.

If you plan to buy a diamond ring, you might feel torn between getting the classic colourless diamond and a coloured one. We want to help you decide by giving you more information on diamond colours. Continue reading to learn how the diamond colour grading scale works.

How Does the Colour Grading Scale for Diamonds Work?

People value diamonds by how close they are to colourlessness. In short, diamonds with less or no colour have a higher value. The Gemological Institute of America, or GIA, sets the colour-grading scale for diamonds.

Its scale starts with the letter D, which represents colourless diamonds. The scale follows the rest of the alphabet until Z. As we move from letter to letter, the colour range also moves from white to yellow or brown.

You compare them to known-colour stones under controlled lighting and precise viewing conditions when you grade diamond colours.

Colourless Diamonds

A colourless diamond has a D, E, or F colour grade. The D-colour diamond is the rarest and most brilliant type. E and F-colour diamonds have a high level of brilliance and sparkle and have minute traces of colour.

These diamonds shine brightest when placed on white gold or platinum bands.

Near Colourless Diamonds

The next group is the near-colourless diamonds, which have G to J colour grades.
When you compare G or H-colour diamonds to higher colour grades, their body colour is noticeable. An I or J-colour diamond looks colourless to the untrained eye. However, its colour is slightly detectable.

Faint Yellow Diamonds

The next group are the colour gradings going from K to M. These are diamonds with a faint yellow hue. The colours of these diamonds are noticeable, even to the naked eye.

The best ring setting for these diamonds is yellow gold.

Fancy Colour Diamonds

A diamond with an intense yellow or brown colour has a Z rating. Yet, most fancy colour diamonds are exemptions from the GIA colour grading scale. Diamonds with unusual natural colours are extremely rare.

These naturally occurring diamond colours are:

• Grey
• Blue
• Yellow
• Orange
• Olive
• Pink
• Purple
• Brown
• Black
• Red (the rarest)

An example of a fancy colour diamond could be a perfect pick if you want an exceptional engagement ring. Choose one with intense colours. Remember, colour and clarity are the two essential C’s of diamonds. Keep the carat weight in mind, too.

Conclusion

The GIA colour grading scale ranges from D to Z. If we go by the GIA colour scale, the perfect diamond has a higher colour grade. Knowledge of the diamond colour grading scale can help you determine a diamond’s value.

However, the perfect diamond is different for every person. Find the perfect diamond colour for you.