Diamond Colour

Diamond colour is a measure of the whiteness of a diamond. The very whitest diamonds are assigned the letter "D".  This progresses along the alphabet, with each grade becoming slightly less white in colour. It is not really until we reach "L" colour that the diamond is visibly tinted. Colour is  perhaps the most visually striking of the 4 C's because whiteness is the characteristic most noticeable from a distance. Diamonds that are lower down the colour band, can in fact be strikingly beautiful, especially those with a high clarity grade. As we move through the grades the diamond colour changes very subtly. Each colour grade varies from the next by a for example a 'G'  colour diamond will be hard to distinguish from an H colour stone, especially to the untrained eye. Systems have been in place for many years, and across each of the grading systems introduced, there are a complex array of terms that can be quite bewildering. We have included below a key to some of the many terms. Rarely used today are some of the original references to diamond colour, such as Jager, River,  Top Wesselton, Wesselton, Top Crystal, Crystal,  and Cape. Many of these terms arose from the origin of particular diamonds. such as Cape diamonds, that were predominant amongst those diamonds mined out of the Cape of Good Hope. We do still see occasional references to such "old school" terms, but these are seldom used even within the diamond industry itself.

Diamond colour that is D, E, or F  usually demand higher prices because they are much whiter diamonds. Our advice is very often to choose a diamond H to I colour or better. This will ensure that your diamond will be white. The following image is a comparison between an "D" colour diamond and an "I" colour diamond. Note that a hint of yellow is visible in the latter stone. This method of obvserving whiteness is typical, with the diamond being laid on the table and observed through the side of the stone. Ideally this is done without the distraction of colour, on a white background under white north daylight. Today, many gemologists use a "real daylight" fluorescent tube in a special lamp to work under.

Comparison between "G" colour  (left) and "L" colour (right) in two diamonds

Remember though, the presence of fluorescence can affect the diamond colour when viewed from above, often making lower colour diamonds appear whiter. This is one of the reasons stones are viewed from the side during grading. Ordinarily, strong fluorescence can make a diamond less valuable resulting in a lower cost, where strong fluorescence reduces brilliance (giving the stone a bluff, or milky hue) However, in some slightly tinted diamonds, fluorescence can give the effect of whitening the diamond, which can result in a slightly higher price for the diamond. If for example a "J" colour diamond has a degree of fluorescence that causes it to "face-up" whiter when viewed from above, it would most likely be a little more expensive than the equivalent diamond, with nil fluorescence.

Diamonds with a noticeably pure colour can vary between pink, blue, green, yellow, orange and brown. Where these occur naturally their rarity makes them very expensive. These noticeable colours are often given the term "fancy coloured"