Color

Most people think all diamonds are colorless. In fact, diamonds come in every color of the rainbow. The diamond industry distinguishes between fancy colored diamonds and diamonds in the normal color range. Fancy colored diamonds make up a small but exotic part of the diamond industry. These diamonds include red, blue, green and pink, as well as the stronger yellows. They also come in combinations such as orange/yellow or gray/blue. Red and green are the rarest fancy colors.These stones are expensive and quite rare. A fancy red one-carat stone can run up to $1,000,000, depending upon the beauty of the stone.

With the exception of these rare colors, colorless diamonds command the highest prices. The diamond is the only gem in which the less color it possesses the higher its value. This is due to the rarity of colorless (white) diamonds. A totally colorless diamond allows light to pass through and be transformed into a magnificent rainbow of colors also known as fire. Diamonds in the normal color range are graded by how closely they achieve absolute colorlessness. Most diamonds usually have a slight trace of yellow, brown or gray. In the late 1950s the Gemological Institute of America (G.I.A) developed a system using an alphabetical letter to indicate the depth of color in a diamond. G.I.A assigned D the best color. Colors range from D (colorless) to Z (light yellow).

Color Chart

To color grade a diamond the stone is compared to diamonds of known color. These stones are called masters. The highest master stone is an E. Any diamond better than the E master is a D. Each letter grade encompasses a range of colors rather than one specific color. There is no one exact color. For example, an H color diamond can be a good H, very close to the H master, or it can be a bad H, very close to the I master. As long as a diamond is between the H and I master stones, it is considered an H stone.

Actual Diamond Color

The difference between each master is minute. Mounted diamonds cannot be graded as consistently as loose stones. This is due to the light reflected from its mounting. Without master stones and a proper grading environment a loose diamond can only be approximated to within two grades. A mounted stone can only be approximated to within three or four grades. For this reason no respectable lab will grade mounted stones.

Even experienced diamond graders have a difficult time distinguishing between any one color grade without the proper grading environment. When purchasing a diamond don't take any chances. Always make sure the stone is accompanied by a certificate from a leading laboratory such as E.G.L or G.I.A.