Diamond Color

The Four C’s of Diamonds: Part 3 – Color

Color in diamonds refers to the absence or presence of color in white diamonds. Color specifies the tone and saturation of color, or the depth of color in a diamond.

Colorless diamonds, much like clear windows, allow more light to pass through the stone than colored diamonds. Because they are more clear, diamond with less color emit more of a sparkle than diamonds with more color. The color of a diamond can range from colorless to a yellow or brown hue. If you have a colorless diamond, Biltmore will be happy to pay you top dollar if you are trying to sell diamond jewelry.

Color is a main part of the diamond and is something that will not change over time. Due to the way diamonds are formed over many years under large amounts of pressure, finding a diamond that is colorless is very rare and makes them very expensive.

When grading the color of a diamond, most jewelers use the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) professional color scale. The GIA system is the most respected system used today for evaluating diamond color. The GIA color scale starts with the highest color grade (D – colorless) and continues down the alphabetic scale to stones with a yellow color (Z – light yellow). As Scottsdale’s top diamond buyers, we will be happy to grade the color of your diamond for free.

The color of a diamond is best observed when viewed through the pavilion (or side) in the table-down (top down) position on a flat white diamond grading trough. In order to grade color, many people use a master set of diamonds or CZ’s and move the stone down the line, finding its place in the color set

The GIA scale for color grading is below:

There are colored diamonds, known as fancies, which do not follow this grading scale. Fancy colors can be any color from green to blue to bright yellow. These stones are very rare and are more expensive due to their color.

There is also another element of diamonds known as fluorescence. Fluorescence is an effect in some gem-quality stones when they are exposed to long-wave ultraviolet light, such as the light in black lights. In most lighting conditions, fluorescence cannot be seen but under special lighting conditions, a soft colored glow is emitted. It is a type of illumination created when the stone is in that lighting condition.

Fluorescence is present in a large amount of diamonds currently on the market.

Fluorescence has been a big debate in the diamond industry and in some cases, has had a strong effect on pricing. It can cause a diamond to appear to be less clear or slightly hazy if the diamond has a very strong or extreme fluorescence. In some cases, diamonds with colorless grades such D-E-F and near colorless grades such as G-H-I-J are actually lower in price if they show fluorescence.

Diamonds with lower (more yellow) color grades such as K-L-M are actually higher in price when they show fluorescence. Biltmore, Scottsdale’s top diamond jewelry buyers, can help show you the fluorescence of your diamond and explain how this may or may not affect how much you can get if you decided to sell diamonds jewelry.

The reason why this happens is that some people believe that fluorescence has a negative effect on colorless diamonds by making them appear to be cloudy and a positive effect on fainter yellows by making them appear whiter. Most recently, studies have been conducting by the GIA which show that fluorescence is not a factor for the average observer.

Click on the links below to view information on diamonds:

Diamonds for Cash
Cut
Carat Weight
Clarity
Certificates
How Diamonds Are Formed
Upscale Diamond Loans Vs. Pawning Diamonds

Call or come in for a diamond loan or sell diamond jewelry today!

If you have a question or are unsure if we are interested in your item(s), Biltmore will be more-than-happy to evaluate what you have for free with no obligation. Please use our FREE Appraisal form or you can visit our How it works page for more information. Walk-ins are accepted at our Scottsdale location. No need to set an appointment!

Scottsdale: 480-991-5626 10830 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85254