Diamond Color

A diamonds color has a significant impact on its appearnace. A diamond color is all about what you can't see. Diamonds are valued by how closely they approach colorlessness - they less color, the higher their value. Some diamond colors like pinks, and blues they are counted as fancy color diamonds, therefore they are an exception. Understanding this will help you select a diamond that suits your taste and your budget.

Diamond Color Grading Procedure

• To be graded, diamonds must be loose stones, because once a diamond is set into metal the metal can affect its color.
• Diamonds are placed table -down, pavilion -up and viewed with a 10X loupe .
• A lettering system from D to Z is used to identify the amount of color present in each diamond, with D awarded only to rare, totally colorless diamonds.

Diamond Color Grades

Colorless diamonds and diamonds that are yellow or yellowish brown are grouped into the categories shown below. These grades do not apply to fancy colored diamonds -- they have their own color grading standards .

D-E-F
Colorless.

G-H-I-J
Nearly colorless.

K-L-M
Faintly tinted, usually yellow.

N-O-P-Q-R
Lightly tinted, usually yellow. Tint can be seen with the naked eye.

S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z
Tinted, usually yellow, may progress to brownish. Tint visible to the naked eye, even when mounted.

Fluorescence

GIA diamond reports and many other lab reports indicate whether or not a diamond exhibits fluorescence which means the diamond's color changes when it is exposed to ultraviolet radiation. Since UV radiation is a component of daylight and is also present in fluorescent lit rooms, diamonds with this characteristic can appear to change color quite often.

• Diamonds that produce a blue reaction usually appear whiter, or more colorless, under UV light.
• Stones that fluoresce yellow appear even more yellow under some lighting conditions.