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 OLOR
Many people have heard of the Hope Diamond: a very large, very famous, natural blue diamond on display at the Smithsonian Institute. It is one of the rarest of diamond colors, but it illustrates the fact that almost all diamonds have a tint of color. While most diamonds appear colorless, they actually have a slight tint of faint yellow or brown. The closer that a diamond gets to a true transparent clear with no tint, the more rare and valuable it becomes. At the other end of the spectrum, vivid "canary" yellow, rich "cognac" oranges, and pale pinks and blues are also very rare, and their prices reflect that. Most diamonds are somewhere in between.
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COLOR GRADE |
D
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E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
L |
M |
N-Z |
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DESCRIP-
TION |
Colorless |
Near colorless
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Faint yellow |
Very
Light to light
Yellow |
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WHAT IT
MEANS
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No tint of color in grading position or face up. |
Very slight tint of color in grading position. Look colorless in face up position. |
Tint of color is obvious in grading position. Look slightly yellow even in face up position. |
Look obviously yellow in face up position. |
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idazzle.com Facts:
- The legend of bad luck surrounding the Hope diamond is fascinating. It is said that the owner of the 45+ carat blue diamond will be cursed by bad luck. Several monarchs reportedly lost their kingdoms and their lives after acquiring it. Evalyn Walsh McLean, the heiress that owned it before Harry Winston bought it and donated it to the Smithsonian in 1958, lost her mind and her fortune. Bad luck? The Smithsonian seems to be doing just fine!
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Color in a diamond is generally compared against a master set of actual diamonds that have been certified by GIA. Grading color in a diamond is done using filtered, cool white fluorescent light while the diamond is on its side or upside down, which reduces the dispersion of spectral colors that would otherwise make it difficult to grade. These specific conditions illustrate why it is difficult, if not impossible, to accurately identify one definite color grade for a mounted diamond. A mounting can have a considerable affect on the apparent color of a diamond. The Independent Grading Labs do not accept a diamond for grading unless it is loose, and it is a very good idea to look critically at a diamond with a Jeweler that can show it to you loose, and compare it to master diamonds that they should have in the store.
While there is no denying the beauty of a D, E, or F color diamond, be sure that you are paying for a factor that is important to you. You are not sacrificing for a diamond that is G-J in color, and if a larger, well-cut diamond that happens to be a K color takes your breath away, there is certainly nothing wrong with that!
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