A diamond's color has a significant impact on its appearance. With its many prismatic facets, a colorless diamond reflects light into a spectrum of hues, a characteristic often referred to as "fire". The presence of noticeable color in a diamond may reduce its ability to reflect light. Consequently, diamonds with lower color grades will not show the same luminosity and fire as those with higher grades. The most valuable diamonds have little to no detectable color.
Key factors
- Color refers to a diamond's lack of color, grading the whiteness of a diamond.
- A color grade of D is the highest possible, while Z is the lowest.
Here is a chart that will help you compare the color of the diamonds:
| Grade | Description |
| D | Absolutely colorless. The highest color grade. Extremely rare. |
| E-F | Colorless. Minute traces of color can be detected by an expert gemologist. A rare diamond. |
| G-H | Near-colorless. Color difficult to detect unless compared side-by-side against diamonds of better grades. An excellent value. |
| I-J | Near-colorless. An exceptional value with slightly detectable warmth or tone. |
| K-M | Noticeable Color |
| N-Z | Noticeable Color |
What color is right for me?
- Diamonds graded between 'D' to 'F' are naturally the most valuable and desirable because of their rarity. Such diamonds are a treat for the eyes.
- Diamonds graded between 'G' to 'I' show virtually no color that is visible to the untrained eye.
- A very faint hint of yellow will be apparent in diamonds graded between 'J' to 'M'.
Keep in mind that, while most people strive to buy the most colorless diamond they can afford, there are many people who actually prefer the warmer glow of lower-color diamonds.