Introduction: Diamond Color scale:

A diamond’s color scale is the second most important characteristic taken into consideration while purchasing diamonds or diamond jewelry. Even a small tint in a diamond can make a difference to your jewelry’s looking while making diamond jewelry. Like with the cut, the color of the diamond also is an important factor while selecting the metal. For example, if you select any ring in white gold or platinum, you should go for these graded diamonds i.e. D to H in the color scale.

There are more demands of diamonds of near-colorless, light yellowish, and brownish. That is one of the reasons that different diamond testing laboratories have their own system for grading the diamond colors. The more the color of the diamond, the less will be its price.

Diamond Color Chart

The diamond color chart explains the different colors of the diamond which is from colorless to the shade. So, starting with the highest quality of diamonds that is colorless to near-colorless till the darkest shades i.e. yellow or brown. Many institutes have their way of measuring the color grades Like the GIA has the color scale starting from D it goes all the ways to Z.

There are numerous diamond color grades in between D and Z. Going for the right color diamond can certainly help you save a lot of money without affecting your choice and your budget. The people who don’t have the professional knowledge about the diamond, this topic of colors will have some difficulty in understanding the difference in the shades but the difference between the D and Z grade can be detected due to their significant change of shades of color. The diamond with the category of colorless diamonds is ranked higher on the color grading scale than the diamond with some shades of color.

Let’s try to understand each of the following diamond color scale grades in an easy and simple format.

Colorless:

The Color grades that appear in the category of Colorless diamonds, are D, E, and F. The person with the perfect knowledge and grading experience can detect the precise differences between these 3 grades. When it comes to pricing, the value will differ greatly. The D color diamonds are extremely rare and colorless, while E and F grades contain different types of sparkling features and appear colorless face-down as well as face-up, which only a professional or skilled person can explain.

Near Colorless:

In this category of Near Colorless diamonds, the color grades that appear are G, H, I, and J. These diamonds have a slightly warm shade brownish or yellowish, which is difficult for any buyer to detect unless using the diamond tools. And can be greatly compared side-by-side with a diamond of a higher grade.

 Faint:

The category of faint diamonds, the color grades that appear are K, L, and M. These categories of diamonds will have proper shades of the Yellow or brown color. And it may be detected by the naked eyes. However, these color grade diamonds are not much desired or in demand. And which results in less price or price drop as compared to the previous category of diamond grades.

 Very Light:

In this category of very light diamonds, the color grades that appear are N, O, P, Q, and R. These categories have a strong notable color that can vary from brown to yellow tint. These categories of diamonds are comparatively very less in demand and it is also known by the name of “Toplight Brown or yellow”.

 Light:

The light diamonds category where the color grades that appear are from S to Z. These categories of diamonds come in dark to darkest shades. These are comparatively more in demands than the faint and Very light category diamonds.

Explaining the Diamond color scale grades separately: 

 

Color	Description
D	D has been given to the highest color grade, which means the D color has no color. When D color diamond seen under magnification, it will appear colorless. These are very expensive types of diamonds.
E	E color diamonds have a similar quality of that of D color diamonds. The proper difference is viewed under magnifications and can be understood only by the person having expertise on diamonds. As this type of diamond color grades are popular and are always in demand by the diamond lovers.
F	F color diamonds have a similar color like D and E grades, but with a different kind of shine or sparkle coming from it. It is difficult even under magnification to find an exact difference between a D, E, and F diamond to anyone other than a professional.
G	G color diamond shows no color but the shine from the girdle will be less as compared to the above-grade diamonds. Under the magnification, the diamond seems to show a very slight shade which can only be seen when compared side by side with the top graded diamonds.
H	H color diamonds when seen from the naked eyes appear to be colorless but have a faintly yellow or brown tint. The color will be visible under some magnifications and also when compared to the higher color graded diamonds.
I	I color diamonds show a bit of tint which is more than the grade H. In spite of its color, this color diamond is value for the money. These graded diamonds will show a yellowish and brownish tint or shade. It is also one of the highest demanded diamond shades in the industry.
J	J color diamonds don’t show any color when seen from the naked eye but have a faint yellowish and brownish shade in the diamond which can be easily seen under the magnifications and with the diamond tools. In addition to this, some cuttings like where the table is quite big where there might be a chance of color to be seen from the naked eye. From a budgetary way, these grade diamonds are valued for money.
K	K color diamonds will show more color than the higher grades in shades like I and J. The K color grade diamond will have a “faint yellow or brown tint” diamond color scale, which means they are visible even to the naked eye.
L	As the color scale goes ahead or downwards in alphabets, the dark to darker shades will appear in the diamonds. The L color diamond will have a light shade of yellow or brown color that will be visible to the naked eye even in the normal daylights.
M	M color diamonds will have more yellowish or brownish shade as compared to K & L grade diamonds. And more importantly, M color diamonds offers fantastic value for money when compared to all higher graded diamond color.
N-R	A diamond that comes from the range of N to R will show the more shades or noticeable shades from the naked eyes. However, these diamonds are sold at much lower prices.
S-Z	The color grade diamonds from S-Z comes in the darkest shades of yellow or brown. In spite of its shade, the demand for these diamonds is quite high.

Conclusion

However, there is no exact solution for which color grade diamond is best and which diamond to be taken, as it will totally depend on the buyer like what quality, cut, and most importantly what is the budget he/she has planned to spend on diamonds or diamond jewelry.

The top quality which is known to be Colorless diamond which represents the top-quality stones, and which are quite expensive. The color grade G, H, and I are said to be the best pocket saver diamonds if there is a budget constraint. Therefore, understanding and choose yourself, according to the needs and budget.