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Acting as a prism, a diamond can divide light into a spectrum of colors and reflect this light as colorful flashes called fire. Just as when looking through colored glass, color in a diamond will act as a filter, and will diminish the spectrum of color emitted. The less color in a diamond, the more colorful the fire, and the better the color grade.
Diamonds are graded by color, starting at D and continuing through the alphabet. Truly colorless stones, graded D, treasured for their rarity and value, are highest on the Diamond Quality Pyramid.
While many diamonds appear colorless, they may actually have subtle yellow or brown tones and these color grades include P and Q. Although still beautiful, they will be less rare and therefore less valuable. To appreciate the simple beauty of each individual stone, you should compare diamonds side by side with a jeweler.
"Fancy" diamonds -- in well defined colors that include red, pink, blue, green and canary yellow -- are highly prized and particularly rare. The table below gives more of an overview of the color grading scale.
| D |
Absolutely colorless. The highest color grade, which is extremely rare. |
| E |
Colorless. Only minute traces of color can be detected by an expert gemologist. A rare diamond. |
| F |
Colorless. Slight color detected by an expert gemologist, but still considered a "colorless" grade. A high-quality diamond. |
| G-H |
Near-colorless. Color noticeable when compared to diamonds of better grades, but these grades offer excellent value. |
| I-J |
Near-colorless. Color slightly detectable. An excellent value. |
| K-M |
Noticeable color. |
| N-Z |
Noticeable color. |
Klos Diamond Center also carries fancy-yellow colored diamonds. These diamonds are graded on a different color scale than white diamonds. Since the scale above ranges from the best to the worst quality in a white diamond, the yellow color in fancy-yellow diamonds cannot be found on this scale.
Some people seek diamonds that produce this unique effect, while others definitely avoid it. The visible effects of fluorescence grades of faint, inert, negligible, and medium, can only be detected by a trained gemologist. A fluorescence grade of strong or very strong can make a diamond with a near-colorless grade look even whiter yet in some instances give the diamond a slight hazy or oily appearance. Diamonds with a strong or very strong fluorescence are priced slightly lower than other diamonds.
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For the purist, look for a colorless diamond with a grade of D-F and a fluorescence rating of faint, inert, none, or negligible. |
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For an excellent value in a diamond with no noticeable color to the unaided eye, look for a near-colorless grade of G-I, and a fluorescence grade of medium or strong blue. |
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Or, if you'd rather not compromise on color but would like to stay on budget, choose a diamond with a good cut, SI1–SI2 clarity, and consider going with a strong fluorescence. It will still be beautiful to the unaided eye and you may prefer the unique effect of a strong fluorescence. |
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