The 4 Cs - Color

Even though they are transparent, most diamonds contain some hint of color. This is caused by the presence of nitrogen in the earth where they formed. Diamond color grading is done on a scale of D to Z.

D is ‘icy-white.’ These diamonds are the most colorless and most rare, so they are considered most valuable. There are 23 descending grades, so the increasing hints of color are very slight. The average person cannot distinguish between several color grades. D, E and F diamonds are all considered colorless to normal vision. G, H, I and J are called near-colorless but still considered to be in the white range. K through Z are faint yellow to yellowish or brownish. A diamond with more color than a Z is a ‘fancy colored diamond’ and could be a different color like pink or blue. These ‘fancy colors’ are not graded on the same scale.