Different colors of diamonds are displayed with different letters. Diamonds whose color grades are classified with the English letters D, E, and F are brilliant white and exceptional diamonds, and the letters G and L indicate that these precious stones are less valuable than the previous grade. Categories marked with the letters M through Z are also dyed or colored diamonds.
Different colors of diamonds are criteria for determining the quality of diamonds and they range from transparent to brownish yellow. White diamonds are very valuable because they are colorless. In fact, the closer a diamond is to colorless, the more valuable it is in the market. Diamond color grading can be very subtle and often cannot be detected by your naked eye or by an untrained eye. For this reason, we have introduced different types of diamond colors.
A brief look at diamonds and how they are formed
Diamond is actually a transparent crystal made of pure carbon. Diamond is the hardest natural substance on the planet, and due to its hardness and high level of scattering and light emission, it has been considered a valuable gemstone for centuries. Diamonds are produced deep underground and under pressure, and are formed by volcanoes with the formation of kimberlite. In the diamond stone, the lower the amount of inclusions and the more transparent the stone, the higher its price.
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Diamonds are thermal conductors, meaning they pass heat through themselves. Round, princess, emerald, usher, marquise, radiant, oval, pear, heart and cushion cuts are some of the most common diamond cuts.
The quality standards of all types of diamonds include the following 4 items:
- Carat: The size of the diamond
- Clarity: The defects inside the diamond also play a role in the quality of the diamond. A diamond's clarity grade will vary from flawless to Grade 3, which is imperfect.
- Color: Diamond color varies from clear to yellow. The more colorless the diamond, the more valuable it is in the market.
- Cut: The appearance of a diamond
Introducing the types of diamonds and their characteristics
There are two types of diamonds, new and recycled. A new diamond is the same diamond that is extracted from the mine, cut and entered the market to reach the customers. Recycled diamonds are models that have been used once and re-entered the market. In fact, these are second-hand diamonds that their owners have sold for more profit.
Different colors of diamonds are criteria for determining the quality of diamonds and they range from transparent to brownish yellow. White diamonds are very valuable because they are colorless. In fact, the closer a diamond is to colorless, the more valuable it is in the market.
Introduction of different diamond colors
Diamond color grading can be very subtle and often cannot be detected by your naked eye or by an untrained eye. Diamonds whose color grades are classified with the English letters D, E, and F are brilliant white and exceptional diamonds, and the letters G and L indicate that these precious stones are less valuable than the previous grade. Categories marked with the letters M through Z are also dyed or colored diamonds.
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Color grade D
D is the highest color grade in a diamond, meaning it has almost no color. D-color diamonds are usually mounted on platinum or white gold. Because yellow gold and others destroy the colorless beauty of diamonds. Diamonds with a D color grade trade at a significantly higher price than other color grades and are among the rarest and most expensive examples on the market.
Color grade E
E-colored diamonds are almost identical to D-colored diamonds. Most of the time, the difference in color between D and E diamonds can only be determined by a professional jeweler when the two diamonds are magnified by Mr. Stone. Although these diamonds are less expensive than D-colored diamonds, they are still expensive.
Color grade F
F color diamonds are almost identical to D and E color diamonds and have almost no visible color and can only be recognized by an expert.
Color grade G
G color diamonds exhibit almost no color and appear primarily colorless to the naked eye. Color grade G is the highest and best grade in the "near colorless" range on the GIA scale. Although G-colored diamonds have some color tone, they are almost impossible to distinguish with the naked eye. Like DF diamonds, these diamonds should be mounted on white gold or platinum to reduce the effects of yellow or rose gold reflections.
Color grade H
H-color diamonds primarily appear colorless to the naked eye, but have a faint yellow tint that is usually visible under bright light, under magnification. H-colored diamonds are slightly less expensive than G-colored diamonds and significantly more affordable than diamonds in the colorless level.
Color grade I
Another type of diamond color is I. I-color diamonds offer the perfect combination of a nearly colorless appearance and good value for money. These diamonds have a slight yellow tone that is usually only noticeable when viewed next to diamonds of a higher color grade. A brilliant-cut, I-cut round diamond looks fantastic on platinum or white gold, as well as against metals such as gold or rose gold.
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Color grade J
J-colored diamonds appear essentially colorless to the naked eye. But they usually have a pale yellow tone or shade that is easily visible under strong bright lights and magnification. We recommend this color for round brilliant diamonds mounted in platinum or white gold (solitaire). Because the round diamond cut is excellent at hiding color.
Color grade K
Diamonds with a K color are classified as "faint tint" on the GIA diamond color scale, meaning they have a slight yellow tint that is visible even to the naked eye. In the purchase price range, K color diamonds are significantly less expensive than the G to J range. A K color round brilliant cut diamond can look beautiful in a beautiful yellow gold ring setting. However, in general, the ring base of diamonds of this color grade should not be made of platinum or white gold.
Color grade L
L-colored diamonds have a yellow shade that can be seen with the naked eye in natural light. A diamond with this color grade is much more affordable than the G to J range, making it a great option for your budget. Because of the yellow color, we do not recommend the L color grade for non-round diamond shapes. We also do not recommend it for diamonds set in platinum or white gold. However, L-cut brilliant-cut diamonds can still look great in solitaire yellow gold rings because of the warm, yellow color of the metal.
Color grade M
Diamonds with M color have a distinct yellow shade that is visible to the naked eye. M color grade is usually the lowest color grade offered by online diamond sellers. Although M-colored diamonds can look warm and beautiful in an antique yellow gold ring setting, their color is easily seen even with the naked eye.
Color grade NR
Diamonds in the range of N to R tone have a significant yellow or brown color. These diamonds are available at a much lower price than diamonds with a pale shade or close to it.
Color grade SZ
In SZ range diamonds, yellow or brown color is easily visible in them. For this reason, we do not recommend SZ diamonds.
Fantasy diamond
Colored diamonds are graded according to their color intensity, as opposed to colorless diamonds. The most common colored diamonds sold in the market are yellow, brown (champagne and cognac), blue, green and pink. Diamonds that are sold because of their different color are called fancy diamonds and sometimes they can even reach the price of exceptional white diamonds.
The color grading scale in fancy diamonds is as follows:
- Faint
- Very Light
- Light
- Fancy Light
- Fancy
- Fancy Intense
- Fancy Vivid, Fancy Deep or Fancy Dark
Rainbow diamond
Rainbow diamond is a special brand name used for synthetic rutile (or titanium dioxide) and is another diamond color.
Synthetic rutile is a diamond stimulant that was introduced in 1948 and became popular in the market due to its geological properties, which are very close to natural diamonds.
Synthetic rutile has a high refractive index of 2.8 and dispersion of 0.33; Note that both of these measurements are higher than diamond. The presence of these features makes the diamond look brighter when cut. In fact, synthetic rutile prismatic colors are eye-catching like opals.
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Synthetic rutile was sold in the market for about 7 years with beautiful names such as "Rainbow Diamond". These names considered its superiority over natural diamond from different aspects; That is, in terms of brilliance and other aspects, which to some extent demanded higher prices per carat. But today, the popularity of rainbow diamonds has decreased due to various reasons.
One of the reasons for the decline in popularity of the rainbow diamond was that it was not practical for mounting as a stone on a ring. This diamond is fragile, soft and has a low hardness of 6 on the Moose hardness scale; Therefore, in this case, it is not suitable for use as a ring stone, because it does not have much resistance to wear. In addition, it has a permanent yellow color, which makes it difficult for manufacturers to modify its color.
Black diamond
Like white diamonds, black diamonds are composed of pure carbon, but they have a different crystalline structure than their white counterparts. White diamond has a regular crystal structure that refracts light. Because of this, it gives the diamond a dazzling brilliance.
Among the diamond colors, black diamond has a compact and compact crystal structure, which makes it absorb light; Therefore, black diamonds do not sparkle and shine like white diamonds. For this reason, they are generally not cut to be shiny.
Like colored diamonds, black diamonds are sold in the market as a fancy diamond called Carbonado. Of course, black diamonds are also diamonds, but they are not as popular and desirable as white diamonds or other colored diamonds.
bloody diamond
When you hear the blood diamond, you might think that this diamond should be red in color, but in fact it is not, and there is a painful and sad story behind this name. Blood diamond is a metaphorical term used to describe diamond stones that are mined from war-torn areas such as Sierra Leone.
Not only men and women but also children are forced to work in the extraction of such valuable gems. These diamonds are sold clandestinely and the proceeds are mostly used to fund the rebels or the military operations of the invading armies. Other names of blood diamond include red diamond, battle diamond, hot diamond and battle diamond.
These terms are used to draw customers' attention to the negative economic and social effects of the diamond trade in certain countries. Or to show that the diamond was mined from a war zone. In addition to forced labor, the trade in these diamonds involves other serious social evils such as bribery, smuggling, intimidation, lawful seizure, torture and murder. This is why these diamonds are called "blood" diamonds.
Unusual colors of diamonds
In recent years, diamonds with different color shades of the rainbow have become more popular. Unusual shades of diamond stones such as pink-purple and blue-gray have also found their way into the collections of the most prestigious jewelry brands around the world these days. Despite the fact that in the past years, diamonds only appeared in colorless, pink, blue and yellow transparent shades on the fingers of the rich and famous, but now the diamond color has moved away from its standard and has become more fashionable and showy.
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Which color is more valuable?
D color grade is the highest quality color grade that a diamond can receive and can be called the "best color" for a diamond. But the matter is not that simple. Diamond clarity is related to its purity and absence of defects; Therefore, in determining the quality of a diamond, the flaws and defects in its core should also be considered. The clarity grade of diamond colors will vary from perfect to grade 3 which is imperfect. The lack of purity or foreign substances in the diamond stone are problematic; Because they interfere with the ability of light to pass through the diamond. Because of this, the diamond will have less luster and will therefore have a lower value.
The International Scale of Diamond Clarity ranks the number of these impurities present as well as their size and location within the diamond. As mentioned, the clarity rating ranges from flawless, which indicates the absence of any impurities in the heart of the diamond, to level 3 or impure. That is, at this last level, you can see the impurity inside the diamond with the naked eye.
last word
In this comprehensive article, we explained in detail about the different colors of diamonds. Note that color is only one factor of the four rules of 4C's, i.e. diamond color, weight, cut and purity; Therefore, even a D color diamond with a bad cut can greatly reduce the beauty.
Finally, we must say that because the jewelry made with real diamonds has a high price; Only a certain class of society can afford it. Because of this, some jewelry is made with synthetic diamonds or diamond substitute stones that you can buy. We do not have any type of gold that is made with real diamonds at Amin jewelers but instead, we have handcrafted golds made with atomic, brilliant and marquise gemstones. To see these products, you can visit our online store.