Diamond Colours
A Rainbow of Diamonds
The purest of diamonds have no hue; they are perfectly transparent. Colour in a diamond is caused by chemical impurities; however, the right kind of colour can actually increase the value of a diamond. The secret lies in the intensity of the diamond’s colour. For example, a tiny hint of colour may decrease a white diamond’s value, but an intensely shaded diamond could be
quite valuable. Diamonds come in almost every shade: imagine the fire of a red diamond (the rarest colour), or the drama of a black one.
Grading diamonds is a specialized skill, and there are several systems that can be used. The diamond grader will compare a new stone against a set of master stones, which exhibit the baseline amount of colour for its grade.
| American Gemological Society (AGS) |
Gemological Institute of America (GIA) |
|
|
| 0 |
D |
Absolutely colourless and transparent |
Mounted stones appear colourless to the untrained eye |
| 0.5 |
E |
|
| 1 |
F |
Colourless |
| 1.5 |
G |
|
| 2 |
H |
Very faint yellow; appears colourless to the untrained eye |
| 2.5 |
I |
|
Mounted stones may appear colourless, but larger stones appear to be tinted a faint yellow or brown |
| 3 |
J |
Smaller stones may appear colourless in jewellery |
| 3.5 |
K |
| 4 |
L |
Colour is visible to the untrained eye |
Mounted stones will display a yellowish tint, even to the untrained eye |
| 4.5 |
M |
| 5 |
N |
Colour apparent to the untrained eye |
| 5.5 |
O |
Mounted stones will display a yellow or brown colour |
| 6 |
P |
| 6.5 |
Q |
| 7 |
R |
| 7.5 |
S |
Easy to see colour |
| 8 |
T |
| 8.5 |
U |
| 9 |
V |
| 9.5 |
W |
Mounted stones appear coloured |
| 10 |
XYZ |