Color is one of the main parameters that determine the quality and therefore the price of a diamond and this is true even if the diamond is labeled as colorless. This is because most diamonds do have some color in them. It may be invisible to the naked eye, yet it has a significant impact on the value of the diamond. And if the color is more pronounced it also affects the overall appearance of the jewelry.

A completely colorless diamond is rare

Diamonds stand out among minerals for many reasons. That they are the hardest substance on earth is a fairly well-known fact. What is less well known is that they are the only mineral that occurs naturally in perhaps every color. The most famous diamonds are ones which are called clear or colorless and these are also the ones which are found most commonly. However, even these tend to have a degree of color in them and as you might have guessed already, the value of a diamond decreases with the rising intensity of its color.

Colorless (D, E, F)

As we move further along the scale, the yellow color in the diamond increases and the value of the gems gradually decreases. Grades G, H, I, J are considered a happy medium. 

To determine the color of a diamond, we use a helpful scale that ranges from the letters D-Z. The highest rating is for diamonds that are completely clear and colorless. These are rated D on the scale. The next two grades, E and F, are still rated excellent. It is almost impossible to tell the difference between these grades with the naked eye.

Near colorless (G, H, I, J)

The color in them is very faint and the diamonds still appear colorless when they are not directly compared to a higher quality diamond. When set into a piece of jewelry, the color on a G grade diamond is not visible at all. Stones graded I-J are a bit cheaper but still look great and they are therefore a good compromise between quality and price.

With a touch of yellow (K, L, M)

Jewelers usually work with stones up to grades M-N and diamonds of a lower quality are very rarely used in jewelry. Diamonds which are rated Z have a distinctly yellow tinge to them and are the cheapest in price. If the yellow color is even more pronounced than a grade of Z, the stone is then put into the category of fancy diamonds which are even rarer than the colorless ones. Colorimeters and various standards help to determine the correct grade of these fancy diamonds and another option is to compare the diamonds to color-graded zircons.

The extent to which the color of diamonds is visible also depends on the size of the stone and this is because it is more evident in larger diamonds. The color of the metal that the diamond is set into also plays a role as yellow and red gold can neutralize the yellowish hue in the diamond to some extent.

Diamonds in KLENOTA jewelry

In the KLENOTA jewelry studio, we normally set diamonds with a grade of G into jewelry. These look completely colorless and have a very low color intensity of yellow or brown in them, which can be detected only by the trained eye of a gemologist or in special optical conditions. What’s more, factors other than color also influence the price of a diamond. The overall assessment is also based on clarity, cut, size and other indicators. For diamond jewelry, we always state these main parameters on each product in our range.

diamond ring in yellow gold - KLENOTA