Color
Key Points
- Color refers to a diamond's lack of color, grading the whiteness of a diamond.
- A color grade of D is the highest possible, while Z is the lowest.
- Diamonds with a color grade of J or higher.
Color manifests itself in a diamond as a pale yellow. This is why a diamond's color grade is based on its lack of color. The less color a diamond has, the higher its color grade. After cut, color is generally considered the second most important characteristic when selecting a diamond. This is because the human eye tends to detect a diamond's sparkle (light performance) first, and color second.
| Z-N | Noticeable color. |
| M-K | Noticeable color. |
| J-I | Near-colorless. An exceptional value with slightly detectable warmth or tone. |
| H-G | Near-colorless. Color difficult to detect unless compared side-by-side against diamonds of better grades. An excellent value. |
| F-E | Colorless. Minute traces of color can be detected by an expert gemologist. A rare diamond. |
| D | Absolutely colorless. The highest color grade. Extremely rare. |
What Color is Right for Me?
For the purist, look for a colorless diamond with a grade of D-F for a diamond with no discernible color.
For an excellent value in a diamond with little or no noticeable color to the unaided eye, look for a near-colorless grade of G-I
Now that you understand how color affects the white look of a diamond, you are ready to learn about clarity.
Want to learn even more about color? Check out our tips and hints section.