Diamond Color

There are many factors that contribute to the cost and value of a diamond. One of these attributes is how closely the diamond appears to be colorless. The less color detectable in the diamond, the higher the value. The exception to this rule are fancy colored diamonds including blue, yellow and pink diamonds.

The industry standard for grading the color of diamonds is the GIA color grading scale. The scale begins with "D" which represents "colorless" diamonds and ends at "Z" for diamonds with noticeable color.

Diamond color values are usually very subtle and most are not visible by the untrained eye. Color differences can affect the price of a diamond greatly.

All diamonds in the D-Z grading scale are considered white despite the varying degrees of color. Fancy colored diamonds are graded on a separate color scale than white diamonds. View Complete Diamond Color Grading Table

Below are brief descriptions of the diamond color grades:

Colorless (D, E, F)

Colorless Diamonds may contain very slight traces of color. However, the color is so slight that it can only be detected by a gemologist and rarely can be seen by the untrained eye.

Near Colorless (G, H, I, J)

Near Colorless are more common than Colorless Diamonds and are often a good value.

Faint Color (K, L, M)

Diamonds in the K, L & M grades contain color (in most cases a yellow tint) that is more easily detected by the naked eye. These types of diamonds are usually less expensive than the higher grades of diamonds.

Very Light Color (N, O, P, Q, R)

Diamonds in these grades contain a yellow or brown tint that is easily detectable. These diamonds are usually the least expensive of all the diamond grades.

Light Color (S through Z)

The S though Z grade diamonds are not commonly purchased by the average consumer. These diamonds contain a great amount of color.

Additional information regarding Diamond Color can be found on Wikipedia.