DIAMOND COLOUR is the second most important characteristic to consider when choosing a diamond. The highest quality diamonds are colourless, while those of lower quality have noticeable colour, which manifests as pale yellow in diamonds.
The Gemmological Institute of America (GIA) grades diamond colour on a scale of D (colourless) to Z (light yellow or brown). D-Z diamonds are also known as white diamonds, even though most diamonds, including H colour diamonds and G colour diamonds, have varying amounts of colour;
D Colour Diamonds (Absolutely Colourless):
D colour diamond is the highest grade and is extremely rare—the highest colour grade that money can buy. Eight percent of customers choose a D colour diamond;
E Colour Diamond (Colourless):
Like D colour diamonds, E colour diamonds are quite rare and have minute traces of colour largely unnoticeable to an untrained eye. It takes an expert gemmologist to detect the minute traces of colour in this grade. Sixteen percent of customers choose an E colour grade diamond;
F Colour Diamond (Colourless):
Only a gemmologist can detect the minute colour differences between E, F, and D colour diamonds. F colour diamonds are comparable to D or E colour diamonds. The whitest of white diamonds, D-F colour diamonds, pair well with white gold or platinum settings. Twenty percent of customers choose an F colour diamond;
G Colour Diamond (Colourless):
In G colour diamonds, the very slight warm and light yellow tone is difficult to detect unless compared side-by-side with diamonds of better grades. An excellent value, this colour grade pairs well with yellow gold. Eighteen percent of customers choose a G colour diamond;
H Colour Diamond (Colourless):
The faint yellow hue is also difficult to detect in H colour diamonds, which are an excellent value and pair well with yellow gold settings. The colour difference between H colour diamonds and G colour diamonds is very difficult to detect unless compared side-by-side against diamonds of higher colour grades. Fifteen percent of customers choose an H colour diamond;
I Colour Diamond (Colourless):
Still a great value, the slight yellow tint of I colour diamonds are only detected when compared side-by-side with diamonds of H grades or higher. This colour grade also pairs well with yellow gold. Fifteen percent of customers choose an I colour diamond;
J Colour Diamond (Colourless):
A good value, the naked eye can’t easily detect the light yellow tone unless compared side-by-side with diamonds of I grades or higher. J colour grade diamonds pair well with yellow gold ring settings. Eight percent of customers choose a J colour diamond;
K-Z Colour Diamonds (Faint to Light Colour):
From K colour diamonds on, colour is visible to the naked eye. Most feel these diamonds have too much of a warm colour. K colour diamonds are usually half the price of G colour diamonds. Blue Nile does not carry K-Z colour diamonds;
Yellow colour Diamonds:
comes from the presence of nitrogen in their composition. The nitrogen molecules absorb blue light, making the stone a yellow shade. Depending on the amount of nitrogen, a yellow diamond could range from light to dark~
