When choosing the perfect diamond, you need to look beyond its size and sparkle. A diamond’s color, for instance, contributes to its beauty and radiance. An interesting fact about diamonds is that even if most of them look alike, not all types of diamonds are physically and chemically the same. They are divided into different color ranges and categories, affecting how they are priced.
In this guide, we’ll discuss the general and scientific categorization of diamonds, including types of diamond colors, and how they affect the stone’s overall look and value.
General Categorization of Diamonds:
- Natural Diamonds: As soon as you hear the word ‘diamond,’ an image of a colorless, sparkling rock pops into your head, right? That is exactly what natural diamonds are. Diamond is the hardest substance on earth and is made up of a single element – carbon. These naturally occurring gemstones are mostly colorless.
- Treated Diamonds: Diamonds that cannot be sold in their natural form and have to undergo an artificial process to improve their appearance are called ‘treated diamonds.’ Treatments like color enhancement and inclusion filling help to manipulate the attributes of these gems and make them worth selling. These treated diamonds are usually sold at a much cheaper price than natural ones.
- Man-Made Diamonds: This variety is also known as ‘lab-grown diamonds.’ They are made in a controlled environment in laboratories under expert supervision. They are as real as natural diamonds but come for much lower prices because of technological innovations. Also, they are ethical and eco-friendly.
Shop Diamond Rings
Add some sparkle to your digits.
Scientific Categorization of Diamonds:
Diamonds are made up of pure carbon, but almost all of these gems contain impurities or trace elements like boron or nitrogen in their basic structure. These trace elements are either acquired during the natural formation process or added as a result of laboratory treatments. Based on the presence of these elements and impurities, natural diamonds can be segregated into the following categories:
- Type I: These diamonds contain the trace element of nitrogen in their composition. They are further classified as below:
- Type Ia: Approximately 95% of natural diamonds fall in this category. Their structure shows the presence of nitrogen atoms in clusters. They vary in color from nearly colorless to light yellow.
- Type Ib: These diamonds also contain nitrogen, but as isolated atoms rather than clusters. They are extremely rare and often bright yellow in color.
- Type II: These diamonds do not have or show the presence of very few nitrogen atoms in their structure. They are further classified as below:
- Type IIa: These diamonds do not contain measurable nitrogen or boron impurities. Of all the diamonds, those belonging to type IIa are the most chemically pure. They are usually colorless but can also be found in gray, light yellow, light pink or light brown hues.
- Type IIb: They are known to be the conductors of electricity. They contain the trace element boron, which is responsible for most of them having a blue or grayish-blue color.
Read: 4C’s of Diamond
GIA Diamond Color Chart
Apart from being graded based on the presence of trace elements, diamonds are also graded based on their colorlessness. The less color a diamond has, the rarer and more valuable it is. This is why colorless diamonds are highly coveted.
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) developed a color grading system that assesses a diamond based on the amount of color present in it. Its D to Z diamond grading scale is the industry gold standard and has five categories featuring 23 grades of diamond colors:
D-F (Colorless)
- Color D diamonds are completely colorless and have the highest color grade on the scale. This means they appear colorless when viewed under magnification and to the naked eye.
- Color E diamonds and color F diamonds have slight traces of color that are invisible to the naked eye.
G-J (Near Colorless)
- Color G diamonds and color H diamonds contain traces of color that can only be noticed when compared to colorless diamonds in the D-F range.
- The color I diamonds and color J diamonds have a faint color that’s slightly noticeable.
K-M (Faint)
Color K diamonds, as well as L and M diamonds, have a faint yellow hue.
N-R (Very Light)
N to R color diamonds have a more noticeable light yellow hue than faint diamonds in the K-M color range.
S-Z (Light)
S to Z diamond color grades have a brown or light yellow hue.
Fancy-Colored Diamonds
Fancy-colored diamonds don’t fall within the GIA diamond color scale. They are graded based on three main criteria: hue, tone and intensity. These diamonds come in a variety of hues, including yellow, pink, blue, brown, purple, orange, green, black and gray, with red being the rarest color.
Hue: This refers to the actual color of the diamond, for example, brown, pink, and yellow, among others. Sometimes, the hue can be represented by a dual tone like brownish-pink or bluish-green. A fancy color diamond’s value depends on these combinations of colors, varying on how desirable or rare they are.
Tone: Tone refers to how light or dark the hue is. For instance, a light tone with a reddish hue will be called fancy pink, while a darker tone will be considered red.
Intensity: The intensity of color represents how strong or contrasting it is. The intensity of fancy color is graded from fancy faint to fancy vivid (with a low to high intensity).
Fancy-Colored Diamonds at Angara
At Angara, our colored diamond jewelry collection features enhanced black, brown and blue diamonds. Enhanced diamonds are basically natural diamonds that have undergone color enhancement treatments and cost significantly less than natural stones. It’s perfect for those who want to flaunt these alluring diamonds without breaking the bank.
- Black Diamonds: Black diamonds symbolize fidelity and reconciliation. They get their color from large quantities or clouds of minute mineral inclusions, such as graphite, pyrite or hematite, present throughout the stone.
- Blue Diamonds: Blue diamonds symbolize security, devotion and loyalty. They get their color from minute quantities of boron present in them. Our collection features enhanced blue diamonds with a greenish-blue hue and a teal-blue hue.
- Coffee Diamonds: Brown diamonds, also known as coffee, toffee and champagne diamonds, symbolize unity, stability and reliability. They are formed due to the presence of hydrogen, nitrogen and nickel within the diamond’s structure.
Explore colored diamonds at Angara today.
Shop Colored Diamonds
Shine brighter in color.
Factors That Affect a Diamond’s Color
There are a number of key factors that affect the intensity of a diamond’s color. They are:
Cut
The cut of a diamond plays a major role in its brilliance (white light reflected by a diamond), which can be diminished with the presence of color. For example, the more color a diamond has, the less its brilliance will be. But when a diamond with traces of color is cut perfectly, it can reflect light beautifully, detracting from the diamond’s color. For example, a round brilliant-cut diamond has the ability to conceal color better than an emerald-cut diamond.
Fluorescence
Diamond fluorescence refers to the intensity of a colored glow when a diamond is exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light. Diamonds with a higher color grade on the colorless diamond scale (within the D-F range) have a milky appearance due to strong fluorescence. This makes them 15% less expensive than diamonds of the same color grade without fluorescence. On the other hand, diamonds with lower color grades (I color and below) lose some of their yellow hue due to medium to strong fluorescence. This makes them slightly more expensive than non-fluorescent diamonds in the same color range. However, this is limited to blue fluorescence only.
Metal Color
The metal color in which a diamond is set can either enhance or diminish the color present in a diamond. For example, rose and yellow gold have the most impact on colorless diamonds because the stone reflects some of the metal’s color. This can make the diamond appear slightly yellow, and 1-2 grades lower than their actual grade.
If you’re looking for a more affordable option, you can opt for lab-grown diamonds, which are 100% as real as natural diamonds: they are chemically, physically, and optically identical to natural diamonds. However, they are around 80% cheaper than their counterparts and a better option, especially if you’re opting for a diamond with a higher carat weight.
There is no doubt that diamonds truly are Mother Nature’s most beautiful gift to mankind. Are you in love with these spectacular gems and desire to know more about them? Then, take a look at our detailed educational guide on diamonds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What is diamond color?
A diamond color refers to the absence of color in a diamond.
Q2. Which color diamond is costly?
The most expensive diamonds are fancy-colored diamonds, followed closely by colorless diamonds in the D-F color range.
Q3. Why is the diamond color important?
The more colorless a diamond is, the rarer it is, and this rarity influences its price.
Q4. How is diamond color graded?
Diamond color is graded by experts using the D-Z color grading scale.
Q5. How does the diamond color affect the price?
Colorless diamonds are the most expensive because color affects the brilliance of a diamond. The more color a diamond has, the lower the price tag.
Q6. Are there any noticeable differences between near-colorless grades (G-J) and colorless grades (D-F)?
To the naked eye, these two diamond color categories are almost similar unless they’re compared closely.
Q7. What is the impact of fluorescence on diamond color?
Fluorescence can enhance or detract from the diamond’s beauty. A diamond can lose 15% or more of its value if it has a very strong fluorescence.
Q8. Should I prioritize diamond color over clarity and cut?
A diamond’s cut quality should ideally be prioritized since it affects the stone’s brilliance. A well-cut diamond in a lower color grade (G-H) can still look spectacular thanks to its ability to create sparkle and brilliance.
Q9. What are fancy colored diamonds?
Diamonds that are outside the normal color range are called fancy-colored diamonds. These diamonds come in various colors, tones, and saturations, with red being the rarest color.
