Diamond Colour

Diamonds are valued by how closely they approach colourlessness – the less colour in the white diamond, then the higher the value. However there’s an exception to the rule, as coloured diamonds are valued at how vivid the colour they display is.

GIA’s colour grading scale for diamonds is the industry and international standard. The scale begins with the letter D, representing colourless, and continues with increasing colour to the letter Z, which is essentially light yellow or brown. Each letter grade isn’t an exact colour, but it is a RANGE of colour. Meaning a Diamond of D colour at the top of the range will be whiter, while a diamond near the bottom of the range will look more like an E colour. Each has a clearly defined range of colour appearance. Diamonds are colour-graded by comparing them to stones of known colour under controlled lighting and precise viewing conditions.