All diamonds are thought to be colorless, ie transparent. However, each diamond can have a different color tone. It is just not possible to understand the color of the diamonds or to determine the brightness level with the naked eye. Of course, color does not mean red, blue or green tones. The quality of the stone is, in fact, the decisive factor in the colors of the diamond. Although most of the diamonds look colorless and appear to be the same, they all have certain or indistinct shades. The more colorless a diamond is, the more valuable it is. It has been classified by the GIA (American Institute of Gemmology) from D to Z and is accepted as the color standard worldwide.
If the stone is defective or if there is contamination of the stone due to various chemicals in nature, it will have a color tone closer to yellow. The color of the diamond is determined by chemical contamination as well as by structural defects of the stone. Diamonds, which have been formed in millions of years, show their colors like pale yellow with nitrogen atoms and carbon atoms added to their structure. A color scale is therefore used. In general, the colors of the diamonds have a tone scale ranging from white to yellow. If you are wondering which of these shades is the best, we can tell you that the whitest shade, ie furthest away from yellow is the best color in diamonds. When choosing a diamond, the color is considered the most important feature after cutting. Excellent white is among the class D-H. This quality refers to the classes that appear white to the eye. I and later grades are seen as pale yellow with the naked eye.
How the Colors Are Categorized in Diamonds?
The colors in diamonds are indicated by letters. These letters are evaluated in 5 different categories. These categories can be listed as follows:
- Extra white: D, E, F
- White: G, H, I, J
- Near white: K, L, M
- Very light yellow: N, O, P, Q, R
- Light yellow: S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
The most important issues to be considered when choosing a diamond are cut, clarity and color options.
- D: completely colorless and top quality diamond, very rare extra white color.
- E-F: Colorless, free of yellow and green tones. It contains very light colors which can only be determined by gemologists.
- G-H: This color scale is almost colorless. Small and yellow tones are found. The color tone is less understood and perceived as white when compared to white diamonds.
- I-J: Colorless. It has a warm tone that can be noticed by the naked eye. The price is very affordable compared to the top quality and it is the last class as a colorless class.
- K-Z: Colorful. It is a group that is never accepted by people who will buy diamonds.
What Is the Importance of Color in Diamond?
In diamonds, color is generally considered to be the most important element. Of course, color is an important factor in determining the value of the diamond. However, it would be wrong to state that the most important element is color. It should be underlined that the cut of the diamond along with the color is extremely important in determining the value. At the same time, the carat value is another important factor.
As the color progresses from white to yellow, the color value decreases. In this respect, it is not possible to say that color is an insignificant element at the price point. Of course, the importance of color in determining the value of the diamond is too much. We would like to state that it is not a decisive factor alone. The most precious diamonds are the ones closest to white. Because those whose color is close to yellow have a slightly poor quality appearance. Since there are more stains in it, the price is lower compared to white diamonds. However, it is not possible to see these spots when looking with the naked eye. Therefore every diamond appears tremendously from the outside!
Which Color Should Be Preferred?
4C rule is very important when choosing diamonds. When you want to buy diamonds, you no longer need to shop in stores. With the e-commerce system, you can shop safely from the internet. The diamonds in the I, J, K, L, Z color scale, where you can see the shades of yellow with its long years of diamonds experience, are suitable in terms of price, but we recommend you to choose between D-H color scale according to your budget in order not to regret.
Detailed Information about Diamond Color
When diamond jewelry is purchased, more white (transparent) color stones are preferred. The color in diamonds is evaluated in five general categories on a scale from D to Z. These; extra white (colorless), white (nearly colorless), faint yellow (very yellow), very light yellow (light yellow) and light yellow (light yellow). In fact, diamonds contain all the colors in nature. Here you see the dominant color in the diamond when determining the color scale. The predominant color in transparent diamonds is the yellow color caused by the trace of the nitrogen element. As the nitrogen content in the diamond decreases, its value and whiteness increase.
Generally, when the color is compared between two diamonds, the diamonds should be at least two degrees different from each other so that the difference can be understood. The diamond color sequence or diamond color table shows us that it is almost impossible to see a color difference between two consecutive color grades. Although the diamond creates magnificence with its brightness and beauty seen from the top angle, some color changes can be seen from the side angle.
Why does the Diamond Color Scale start from D?
One of the first known mistakes about diamond color grading is the structure of grading. The diamond color scale, which is generally thought to start with the letter A, starts with D. So why does this rating start with color D?
Before the grading system established by the GIA (American Institute of Gemmology) was widely accepted, different diamond traders identified the best diamond color with “A”, “AA” or other different definitions. Predictably, in such an uncertain environment, a great inconsistency arose, and it was inevitable that the terms used to describe a diamond would lead to great complexity. The main reason why the GIA color grading system, which is widely used today, starts with D is that it is not confused with the inconsistent grading systems used in the market at that time.
- Extra White Diamond (D-E-F):
The diamonds that meet the extra-white (ie extra-colorless) standard are the rarest and valuable diamonds in color. It is a diamond color class that is not preferred much because of its high prices. It is preferred by those who care about color in diamonds.
D color diamond: It never shows color and contains less different colors in its content and increases the brightness by reflecting the light in the most effective way. The value is quite high. Although it is the rarest diamond color class, it is preferred less because of its high price.
E color diamond: It contains only a few colors that can be seen only by gemologists. It is a rare stone color class.
F color diamond: The diamond with the highest price/performance ratio of the extra white diamond class. It is the most preferred diamond color class of the extra white diamond class because the difference between the color and the E color diamond can be distinguished only by gemologists and the price is more favorable than D and E color diamonds.
- White Diamond (G-H-I-J)
White Diamonds are classified as white diamonds in the upper view. However, when viewed from a white background and bottom angle, they show a small amount of color. Such a small color content cannot be observed after the diamond is mounted on the jewelry. Diamonds in the class of white diamonds have the highest price/performance in diamond color grading. They show a high value compared to their prices. It is the most popular diamond color category displayed and sold. Since the diamonds after J color diamonds appear to be yellow, they are not preferred much, while the extra white diamonds, which are the diamonds before the G color diamond, are only available on special orders due to the excessive price.
G – H Color Diamond: The difference between these two degrees is not a difference that can be observed by the naked eye or by comparison. It is the diamond color grading which is the last diamond grade that does not contain any trace of yellow color. Those are one of the most preferred diamonds. It shows both white colors and can be bought at an affordable price. Once installed in the jewelry, the difference between the extra white is too small to be apparent.
I – J Color Diamond: As with G and H color diamonds, the difference between I and J color diamonds is too small to be observed. They show traces of yellow color but appear white.
- Near White Diamond (K-L-M):
Although the diamonds, which are close to white, in other words in the weak colored diamond category, show a slight color when viewed from above, the stones in this category may be a suitable option for those who are not color sensitive.
K – L – M Color Diamond: The color classes in this class and later have direct yellow or brown color and appear in the assembled diamond with the naked eye. Some may be preferred in terms of color.
- Very Light Colored Diamond (N-O-P-Q-R):
N – O – P – Q – R Color Diamond: Very light yellow or brown colored diamonds. This color can be clearly observed even in small or assembled diamonds. They are the most suitable diamond color class in terms of price in jewelry. The reason for this is that they do not fall into the color class because they do not have a yellow or brown color and they do not show many traces of white and thus they stay away from the white class.
- Light Colored Diamond (S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z):
S – T – U – V – W – X – Y – Z Color Diamond: This class is the last color class before the yellow or brown color diamond. Light-colored diamonds form this class. It is generally not preferred in the use of diamond jewelry. Prices are very low because they are not considered as diamonds even though they are diamonds.
Guide Stones and Color Detection
In order to determine the color of the diamond, it is compared with a reference stone according to its color tones. The guide stones should not have the same cut and size and the clarity should not be less than SI2. They should be examined under D65 white light by an experienced gemologist as perpendicular to the cone and the final decision should be made according to the lower limit of the stone.
Cut and clarity affect the color. Black dots in the stone make the stone look dull or grayish than it is. The glow of an ideal cut stone hides the color of the stone and makes it look whiter than it is. For Europe, the clarity of the stone is more important than its color.
- Fluorescence
The origin of the word fluorescence comes from the fluoride stone. As a result of this stone giving intense blue light under UV, physicists thought that it was a characteristic of fluoride stone and produced the word fluorescent. Fluorescent is defined by the fact that an object emits visible light when exposed to ultraviolet rays. This visible light can be all colors. The diamond is usually blue. 50% of diamonds have fluorescent properties. The light blue on the diamond with fluorescence reduces the effect of jaundice on the diamond. Although its fluorescence is less important than C, it is indicated in international certificates.
Fluorescent categories are as follows.
Nile: Stones with no fluorescence
Slight: Very light fluorescent stones
Medium: Medium fluorescent stones
Strong: Strong fluorescent stones. Very bright blue light under UV.
It has a blue color that can also be seen with the naked eye.
