Since the birthstone of April is the diamond, we thought spending some time this month blogging about the different aspects of these gemstones would be helpful for our customers. As one of the four c’s, color is incredibly important when selecting a loose diamond for use in fine jewelry. However, “color” can be a bit misleading. The most sought after diamonds are actually colorless. The reason for this is that colorless diamonds are less cloudy and therefore reflect more light. This is referred to as brilliance and fire in the industry, but most people simply refer to it as a diamond’s sparkle.
Defining Colorless Diamonds
The color of a diamond is rated on a scale from D to Z on the GIA scale. A diamond rated as a D would be considered completely colorless and therefore the most prized. However, colorless diamonds can also be rated E and F. The naked eye is unable to distinguish the amount of color in these diamonds. Moving down the scale, near colorless diamonds are rated G through J. These diamonds also appear to be without color to the untrained eye, but faint hints of other hues are detectable with precision instruments. For most people, near colorless diamonds are the best value. This is because people in everyday life will see a sparkling diamond without any color without paying full price for a truly colorless diamond.
Examples of diamond color grading
What About Fancy Colored Diamonds?
While colored diamonds in the K through R range of the GIA grading scale are not desirable for fine jewelry due to their faint yellow tint, there are some diamonds with natural coloring that are actually quite valuable. These diamonds are known as fancy colored diamonds. Fancy colored diamonds are created when other elements are present during the creation of a diamond. For example, the presence of boron creates diamonds with blue hues while trapped electrons create pink diamonds. Even more rare, the presence of radiation manifests diamonds with green coloring. Diamonds with pure natural coloring are some of the most prized gemstones on the planet.
The Right Diamonds For Fine Jewelry
At Adiamor, we only carry diamonds graded between D and J. These colorless and near colorless gemstones are the best choices for creating fine jewelry and engagement rings. Colorless diamonds are the most valuable because they are more rare, but near colorless diamonds provide great value for the price. When deciding on what diamond is right for your custom jewelry, color is an extremely important aspect. However, it is only one of the four C’s, and factors such as cut, clarity, and carat weight should heavily factor into your decision.
Continue checking in with the blog this month as we explore more diamond related topics. For more information on diamonds right now, visit our Education Center today!
