Gentleman, if you are looking to buy a diamond, understanding color quality is vital if you want to get the best deal. Color is the second most important factor to consider when purchasing a stone, as it greatly affects the overall appearance. Although it is sometimes almost impossible to determine differences using your naked eye, the presence of any color in a stone will prevent it from reflecting as much light as a colorless stone would. This means that a stone with a lower color grade will exhibit lesser beauty (refection, scintillation, etc.) compared to another one with no discernible color. In other words, the more colorless your stone is, the better it is at absorbing and reflecting light. This is the reason why most people prefer buying colorless diamonds. However, this does not make those stones with much warmer colors less attractive. To help you make a better decision on your next purchase, we will discuss everything you need to know about diamond color quality.
How Important Is Diamond Color?
Color is the second most important of the 4c’s and has a huge impact on the price of a stone. As a general rule of thumb, the fewer colors a stone reveals, the more valuable it is. In other words, each succeeding color grade comes with a lower value than the one that was before it. Whether there is a noticeable difference between two diamond color grades or not, the grade difference will still reflect on their total prices. This simply means that if you want to purchase a diamond that looks beautiful at a very good price, you want to choose a diamond with a color grade between G – I.
The Diamond Color Grading System
To help you easily compare the color of colorless diamonds, the diamond industry developed an alphabetical grading scale ranging from the letter D up to the letter Z. In this grading scale, D starts as the highest color grading showing the least possible color. Going down the letter scale from here stones will start to develop some brown or yellow tints which become very noticeable at grade Z. Without being able to compare stones side by side, you may find it almost impossible seeing any difference between a D grade diamond and a G grade diamond. With that, let’s now look at the diamond color grading system.
Colorless Diamonds
(D, E, and F grades) Diamonds that are found within the colorless range (D – E) are the most rare displaying virtually no color. While they may be described as icy white, the F colored ones will display nearly undetectable color amounts even when viewed by a gemologist under magnification.
Near Colorless Diamonds
(G, H, I and J grades) While the stones found within the near colorless range may appear colorless when viewed in the face-up position, they may exhibit some little color amounts when viewed face down. For this to happen however, the stone has to be viewed against a background that is perfectly white. Diamonds within this category provide the most value to engagement ring buyers.
Faint Color Diamonds
(K, L, and M grades) Diamonds that are graded between K to M will display a slight color presence when placed in the face-up position. These stones are a good option if you are looking for a stone that has that warmer look of faint color. Also, if you are looking to set your stone in a yellow gold ring setting, this is the color grade to go with.
Light/Strong Color Diamonds
(M – Z grades) Diamonds that are graded as either M or lower exhibit a noticeably warm color. Since they are inclined more towards brown or yellow hues, they are normally seen to be of low quality to an extent that most reputable jewelers never use them.
The Relationship between a Diamond's Color And Its Shape
When I was searching for my own diamond I was surprised to find that the shape of a stone has a relationship to the color of the stone. Shape can either mask the presence of yellow tints on a stone or show them. Generally, cuts that have many facets and are highly brilliant tend to be very good at hiding a stone’s color. For this reason, brilliant cuts are the best option when you want to hide the color in a white engagement ring diamond. However, for people who are looking for a fancy colored diamond (pink, yellow, blue, etc.) round cut diamonds are not the way to go. Due to a round cut diamond’s large number of facets and high degree of sparkle, it effectively masks a stone’s color. If you are looking for a diamond to appear as pure and white as possible you should ensure that you go for a stone that has been cut with precision and the brilliance is also high so as to mask any faults that an engagement stone may have. Below is a scale to illustrate shapes that hide/show color.
How The Setting Affects Diamond Color
When stones are being graded, they are usually placed on a perfectly white background before they are scrutinized for traces of any color. In this kind of environment, color is more noticeable. However, in the normal environment, your stone won’t be subjected to such scrutiny. When you place your stone in a setting, it will be harder to notice any color in it. In fact, the color of the setting is the one that will influence how your stone appears. This means that the setting will either add to or detract from your stone’s original color. Also, a stone’s color is usually more noticeable when it is mounted on jewelry that has a contrasting hue. Therefore, if you have a stone with a G grade color or lower, I highly advise you to consider using a yellow gold setting. When you pair a stone with a metal that has similar hues, the warm colors of the stone and metal are neutralized. On the other hand, if your stone has an E grade or higher grade, it will look great when mounted on platinum or white gold. Using yellow gold is often not advised since the warm color of your stone can be reflected making it appear to be of a less quality.
How Fluorescence Affects Diamond Color
Fluorescence is another factor that has a great impact on diamond color quality. Since fluorescence is often misunderstood and there are many myths that are associated with it, let me walk you through the basics. Unknown to many diamond buyers, fluorescence actually can be an advantage when it comes to diamond color. Fluorescence is that cloudy glow that a stone usually produces when it is exposed to ultraviolet rays (UV). It can also be described as the intensity of a stone’s reaction to UV rays. For those colorless stones, fluorescence ranging from medium to strong can make the stone appear hazy which is not good. But on the other hand, stones between the color grades I and M will appear much whiter in the presence of fluorescence. Since blue and yellow are complementary colors, when blue fluorescence is emitted from a yellowish diamond, it will neutralize the yellow color in the diamond and this will give the diamond a more colorless appearance. Therefore, one strategy to get the best value for your money is to go for a stone between color grade I to K with a very strong fluorescence. A stone like this will be quite cheap and can appear much more expensive than it is.
Which Diamond Color Grade Should You Buy?
Although the color grade that is most preferred by many diamond buyers is grade G or H, it doesn’t mean that it is the only grade that will give you the best value for your money. Taking into consideration, you should probably never go with a diamond that has a color grade that is better than G. “Why do that? You ask?” The answer is simple. As a buyer, you definitely will not notice any difference between a G grade diamond and a D grade diamond other than the hit to your wallet. If you were to buy a D color grade diamond, you would end up just paying more for a feature that you will only see on your certificate but will remain invisible to your eye. After all, any person would easily consider an I grade stone or even a J grade stone as colorless if they looked at them without placing them next to a D grade diamond.
Final Thoughts
The color of a diamond is a very important factor that needs to be considered when you are looking to buy an engagement ring. You are now armed with knowledge that will save you money when looking for the right diamond color. “Experts” and jewelers may tell you that you need a D color graded diamond but this is not true. If you want to maximize your diamond’s appearance and get the most for your money choose diamonds within the G – I grade range. These grades will give you a beautiful white diamond while leaving you more money for higher carat or cut qualities. I personally bought an H color diamond and was able to put more money into my diamond’s carat weight. If you want to check out the best diamonds for the best price, I highly recommend James Allen. These guys have the best pricing on the market, incredible customer service, and will even engrave your engagement ring for free. Diamond color is something that many people struggle with. Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of what you need to look for.