The color of a diamond has the second biggest impact on its price, after carat weight. Color describes the amount of color the diamond contains. This can range from colorless to yellow with slight tints of yellow, gray or brown. Colors can also range from intense yellow to brown, blue, green, pink and red. These fancy colors are rare and therefore more valuable.
The color of a diamond refers to its degree of "yellowness." The ideal diamond is completely colorless, and therefore it will be the most expensive. The Gemological Institute of America (G.I.A.) grades color alphabetically from D (totally colorless) to Z (yellow):
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For all practical purposes, diamonds graded from D through F are considered colorless. While subtle graduations from D through F do exist, and are measurable by a gemologist (using ideal lighting conditions on a white background), to all but the trained eye these stones appear colorless.
Most diamonds sold are in the G through J range. While the untrained eye still sees these stones as colorless when mounted, they are graded as slightly tinted. "J" being more pronouncedly colored or tinted than a "G" color, most stores stock stones in this range, and order in higher grades as required. They don't pay those prices for the "highest grades" so why should you! If you stay up toward the "G" range you're going to find the best value and beauty for your money!
Diamonds graded from K through M show visibly more marked color, and are classified as faintly tinted or colored. Now this is where you really start seeing color "big time!" A stone of this range hammerset into a warm 18Kt yellow gold ring looks stunning; however, place it into a platinum or white gold set and it looks terribly colored! From N on towards Z colors are increasingly more dramatic.
Because a colorless diamond, like a clear window, allows more light to pass through it than a colored diamond, colorless diamonds emit more sparkle and fire. The formation process of a diamond ensures that only a few, rare diamonds are truly colorless. Thus the whiter a diamond's color, the greater its value.
Diamond Flourescence
Fluorescence is an effect that is seen in some gem-quality diamonds when they are exposed to long-wave ultraviolet light (such as the lighting frequently seen in dance clubs). Under most lighting conditions, this fluorescence is not detectable to the eye. While most gemologists prefer diamonds without this effect, some people enjoy it. It's really just a matter of aesthetics.
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. Learn more about diamond fluorescence.
Choose Best Color Grade Diamond
Diamonds graded D through F are naturally the most valuable and desirable because of their rarity. Such diamonds are a treat for the eyes of anyone. But you can still obtain very attractive diamonds that are graded slightly less than colorless.
For the purist, look for a colorless diamond with a grade of D-F and a fluorescence rating of faint, inert, none, or negligible.
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.
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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