Diamond Color
from
Diamond Experts

When grading diamond color, one must decide the amount by which a diamond deviates from the whitest possible, or what in other words is, truly colorless. By nature there is a continuous darkening of tints from white to yellow or from white to brown. Divisions in diamond color are determined by demand and the ability of the human eye to separate one shade from an adjacent lighter or darker shade.

The white to yellow group of diamond color, which is the most important when regarding large gem diamonds, can be divided into 3 grades or 50 grades. Most people, even untrained shoppers, would be able to grade a pile of diamonds into 3 color grades. Very few, even experienced dealers in wholesale diamonds , would be able to grade a pile of diamonds into 50 color grades which gradually increase in shades of yellow tinge. Everyone will have a problem with stones that fall between two adjacent grades of color.

Grading Diamond Color

America has gone the furthest towards a universal color grading system. The standard devised by the well-known Gemological Institute of America, or otherwise known as "GIA," has become the most widespread standard used for grading diamonds for color. The steps of the system represent from colorless to yellow: D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z. The top grade is coded as D, or completely white.

Diamonds from colorless, or D color, to those that are yellow or yellowish brown are grouped into the diamond color scale presented on the right. Of course, these grades have no bearing on fancy colored diamonds.