DIAMOND COLOR

Color refers to the presence of yellow tints within a diamond. It is the second most important factor in the beauty of a diamond, after cut. The range of a diamond’s color can vary from colorless through a yellowish or brownish color.

The 4Cs – Diamond Color

Nature causes variations in a diamond’s color. It begins when carbon molecules bond together underground in a tight crystal structure over billions of years. During this long formation process, nitrogen atoms naturally seep into the crystal structure, replacing the carbon atoms to tint the rough diamond yellow. As more nitrogen atoms bond to the crystal structure, the diamond takes on a more yellow appearance.

COLOR SCALE AND GRADES

Diamonds are rated on a color scale developed by the GIA, the world’s premier diamond grading nonprofit. The color grading system is based on the alphabet, beginning with the letter D and running all the way through Z. A grade of D is the best possible grade a diamond can receive, which translates to an absence of color. Diamonds with this grade tend to be the most rare and valuable.

Often a diamond with a higher color grade will appear whiter, clearer and crisper to the naked eye. As the color scale gets deeper into the alphabet, the yellowness of a diamond becomes more visible. A diamond color classification scale with five categories helps determine where in the range the color falls. D, E, and F are in the colorless range. G, H, I and J are called near colorless. The rest of the spectrum falls under faint yellow, very light yellow and light yellow, until Z is reached.