DIAMOND COLOUR
What does the Colour grade mean?
Diamond colour refers to the lack of colour present in the diamond, therefore its whiteness.
Colour appears in a diamond as a pale yellow or brown. This is because of the presence of nitrogen when the diamond is formed.
A grading scale from D to Z is used to grade the lack of colour in a diamond.
Diamonds with a higher colour grade are rarer and more valuable than a diamond with a lower colour grade.
This scale was created by the Gemmological Institute of America (GIA). GIA are one of the largest and most respected diamond grading labs in the world. Their Colour scale is also the most universally accepted.
We offer diamonds with a grading of D to H. Diamonds with a colour grade of D – F will be white/colourless diamonds. There is very little difference between colours D, E and F and those differences are usually only visible to a professional gemmologist but the grade does affect the value of the diamond.
Colours G to H will both have a slight hint of yellow to the diamond. That hint of yellow is difficult to see without comparing the diamond, side by side, with a whiter diamond.
Which Colour grade is right for you?
When it comes to choosing the colour of your diamond there are a few different factors to consider. Your budget will almost always be one factor to consider along with how important the grade is to you.
Some customers don’t mind a slight hint of yellow showing in the diamond so a colour H graded diamond would work for them. For many customers though, a white/colourless diamond is vital and for this we would recommend colour F as a minimum.
It’s also important to remember when buying a larger diamond, over 1.00ct, any hint of yellow to the diamond will become more obvious.
What we recommend
When it comes to the colour of a diamond we always recommend colour F as a minimum. This grade offers a good value for money without compromise as you will have a white/colourless diamond.
Factoring in the metal colour of your ring is also important as this can affect the appearance of your diamond. If you are choosing a yellow gold solitaire setting you could lower the colour grade as yellow gold settings will complement diamonds with a lower colour grading. This can also be the case with rose gold ring settings, not quite to the same extent though.
Where a customer is choosing a ring design which has shoulder diamonds or a Halo design then we would recommend sticking with a colour F as a minimum. This is because the smaller diamonds in the shoulders or halo of all of our rings are colour F as standard and those bright white diamonds will make the hint of a yellow in a G or H diamond more obvious.
