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Color is personal choice: some like a diamond with an ice-cold whiteness (colorless or near-colorless), while others prefer the golden glow of a warmer color that shines like the sun. Diamonds with no color like D, E, F, are very rare and are more expensive than near-colorless (G, H, I, J) diamonds.
Diamonds with a faint tinge of color (K, L, M, N, O) have a slightly warm color and are more affordable. For those who want a larger diamond within a certain budget, selecting diamonds with a lower color grade may be the best option. The color in diamonds graded K-Z is especially noticeable set in platinum or white gold. If you like a yellow gold setting than diamonds with faint tinge of yellow would look great. |
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Absolutely colorless. The highest color grade, which is extremely rare. |
| Colorless. Only minute traces of color can be detected by an expert gemologist. A rare diamond. |
| Colorless. Slight color dtected by an expert gemologist, but still considered a "colorless" grade. A high-quality diamond. |
| Near-colorless. Color noticeable when compared to diamonds of better grades, but these grades offer excellent value. |
| Near-colorless. Color slightly detectable. An excellent value. |
| Noticeable color. |
| Very noticeable color. |
| Note that MDC also offers Natural fancy-colored diamonds. These diamonds are graded on a different color scale than white diamonds. Since the scale above ranges from the best to the worst quality in a white diamond, the yellow color in fancy-yellow diamonds cannot be found on this scale. |
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| Some people seek diamonds that produce this unique effect, while others definitely avoid it. The visible effects of fluorescence grades of faint, inert, negligible, and medium, can only be detected by a trained gemologist. A fluorescence grade of strong or very strong can make a diamond with a near-colorless grade look even whiter yet in some instances give the diamond a slight hazy or oily appearance. Diamonds with a strong or very strong fluorescence are priced slightly lower than other diamonds. |
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For the purist, look for a colorless diamond with a grade of D-F and a fluorescence rating of faint, inert, none, or negligible.
For an excellent value in a diamond with no noticeable color to the unaided eye, look for a near-colorless grade of G-I, and a fluorescence grade of medium or strong blue.
Or, if you'd rather not compromise on color but would like to stay on budget, choose a diamond with a good cut, SI1–SI2 clarity, and consider going with a strong fluorescence. It will still be beautiful to the unaided eye and you may prefer the unique effect of a strong fluorescence.
The table below compares the prices of diamonds with the same clarity grade (VS1) and carat weight, but varying color grades.
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